https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=789127 A time-bound assessment under section 153(1) of the Income-tax Act is made only when the competent authority signs the operative document, because signature marks the point at which the authority no longer retains locus poenitentiae. The Bombay HC treated the assessment order, computation sheet and notice of demand as invalid where they were dated within time but digitally signed after the statutory limitation had expired. Applying the statutory requirement that issued documents be signed and the principle that an order is not complete until signature, the Court held that late-signature documents could not be regarded as made within time and quashed them as time-barred. en-us Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0530 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:49:35 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=789127 A time-bound assessment under section 153(1) of the Income-tax Act is made only when the competent authority signs the operative document, because signature marks the point at which the authority no longer retains locus poenitentiae. The Bombay HC treated the assessment order, computation sheet and notice of demand as invalid where they were dated within time but digitally signed after the statutory limitation had expired. Applying the statutory requirement that issued documents be signed and the principle that an order is not complete until signature, the Court held that late-signature documents could not be regarded as made within time and quashed them as time-barred. Case-Laws Income Tax Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=789127