2019 (6) TMI 613

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....er the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, 1969. It is a society engaged in banking as well as providing credit facilities to its members. The issue in this appeal relates to assessment of income tax for the assessment year 2014-2015 in respect of the society. 3. The Assessing Officer treated the income derived by the assessee by way of interest from loans and advances made by it as not eligible for deduction under Section 80P(2)(a)(i) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Act') on the ground that the assessee is not a society as envisaged under Section 80P(4) of the Act and passed assessment order accordingly. 4. The assessee challenged the aforesaid order of the Assessing Officer by filing appeal before t....

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....ed into the factual situation whether the assessee is conducting business as a Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Society and that the benefit under Section 80P(2) of the Act cannot be granted merely on the basis of the registration certificate issued to the assessee under the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, 1969. The Appellate Authority relied upon the decision of this Court in Chirakkal Service Co-operative Bank Ltd v. Commissioner of Income Tax : 2016(2) KLT 535 and found that the assessee being a Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Society registered under the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act is entitled for deduction under Section 80P(2)(a)(i) of the Act and that the assessee cannot be treated as a Primary Co-operative Ba....

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....and having its area of operation confined to a village, panchayat or a municipality and as such, they are entitled for the benefit of sub-section (4) of Section 80P of the Act to ease themselves out from the coverage of Section 80P and that the authorities under the Act cannot probe into any issues or such matters relating to such societies and that the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies registered as such under the Kerala Cooperative Socities Act and classified so under that statute, are entitled to such exemption. 9. Chirakkal (supra) now stands overruled by the decision of the Full Bench of this Court in Mavilayi Service Cooperative Bank Limited v. Commissioner of Income Tax : 2019 (2) KHC 287, in which it has been held as follows: ....