Tax Penalty Notice Defects: Grounds Must Be Clear.

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....Defective notice issued u/s 274 read with Section 271(1)(c) for levying penalty. The key points are: The phrases "conceal" and "furnishing of inaccurate particulars" in Section 271(1)(c) carry distinct meanings. Where penalty proceedings are initiated u/s 271(1)(c), the specific ground must be clearly spelled out to provide the assessee a proper opportunity for defense. Penalty proceedings being penal in nature, the charge must be unambiguous. The revenue cannot club both grounds of concealment and furnishing inaccurate particulars. Following judicial precedents, the Tribunal rightly held that the penalty levy u/s 271(1)(c) in the assessee's case was invalid due to the defective notice.....