2018 (6) TMI 1042

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.... was doing the business of banking and in view of insertion of sub section(4) to section 80P of the Income-tax Act, w.e.f. 01.04.2007, the assessee was not entitled to the benefit of section 80P(2) of the Income-tax Act. 3. Aggrieved by the order of the Assessing Officer denying the benefit of deduction u/s 80P(2) of the Act, the assessee preferred appeal to the first appellate authority. The CIT(A), following the judgment of the Hon'ble jurisdictional High Court in the case of Chirakkal Service Co-op Bank Ltd vs CIT reported in 384 ITR 490, allowed the claim of deduction u/s 80P(2) of the income-tax Act. However, with regard to interest received on investments with Sub Treasuries, Bank of Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank and Trivandrum District Co-operative Bank, aggregating to Rs. 3,96,30,393, the CIT(A) held the same to be income from other sources, thereby denying the benefit of deduction u/s 80P of the income-tax Act for above mentioned interest receipt. 4. The assessee being aggrieved by the denial of benefit of section 80P(2)(a)(i) of the I.T.Act, in respect of interest earned on investment made with sub-treasuries, various scheduled banks and Trivandrum District ....

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....(4) of the income-tax Act, had rendered the following findings: "Therefore, the intention of the legislature is clear. If a cooperative bank is exclusively carrying on banking business, then the income derived from the said business cannot be deducted in computing the total income of the assessee. The said income is liable for tax. A Cooperative bank as defined under the Banking Regulation Act includes the primary agricultural credit society or a primary cooperative agricultural and rural development bank. The Legislature did not want to deny the said benefits to a primary agricultural credit society or a primary cooperative agricultural and rural development bank. They did not want to extend the said benefit to a Cooperative bank which is exclusively carrying on banking business i.e. the purport of this amendment. Therefore, as the assessee is not a Co- operative bank carrying on excursively banking business and as it does not possess a licence from Reserve Bank of India to carry on business, it is not a Co-operative bank. It is a Co-operative society which also carries on the business of lending money to its members which is covered under Section 80P(2)(a)(i) i.e. carrying on t....

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....ent dated 28th Oct 2014). The Hon'ble Karnataka High Court was considering the following substantial question of law: "Whether the Tribunal failed in law to appreciate that the interest earned on short term deposits were only investment in the course of activity or providing credit facilities to members and that the same cannot be considered as investment made for the purpose of earning interest income and consequently passed a perverse order?" 6.3 In answering the above question of law, the Hon'ble Karntaka High Court distinguished the judgment of the Apex Court in the case of Totgars Cooperative Sales Society Ltd (supra) and rendered the following findings: "9. In this context when we look at the judgment of the Apex Court in the case of M/s Totgars Cooperative Sales society Ltd., on which reliance is placed, the Supreme Court was dealing with a case where the assessee-Cooperative Society, apart from providing credit facilities to the members, was also in the business of marketing of agricultural produce grown by its members. The sale consideration received from marketing agricultural produce of its members was retained in many cases. The said retained amount which was paya....

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.... Bank Ltd in ITA No. 372/Coch/2010 had decided the matter in favour of the assessee. The Cochin Bench of the Tribunal in the case of Muttom Service Cooperative Bank Ltd (supra) has distinguished the judgment of the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Totgar's Cooperative Sale Society Ltd (supra). The relevant finding of the coordinate Bench of the Tribunal in the case of the Muttom Service Cooperative Bank Ltd (supra) read as follows: "5. We have considered the rival submission on either side and also perused the material available on record. We have also carefully gone through the order of the lower authority. No doubt, the latest judgment in Totgar's Co-operative Sale Society Ltd vs ITO (supra), the Apex court found that the deposit of surplus funds by the co-operative society is not eligible for deduction u/s 80P(2). In the case before the Apex Court in Totgar's Co-operative Sale Society Ltd vs ITO (supra), the assessee co-operative society was to provide credit facility to its members and market the agricultural produce. The assessee is not in the business of banking. Therefore, this Tribunal is of the opinion that the judgment of the Apex court in Totgar's Co-operative Sale S....