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2025 (7) TMI 1039

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....During search operation at the premises of the group, certain documents belonging to M/s. Rameshwaram Steel and Power Ltd. were found and seized. Case of assessee company was centralized with DCIT, Central Circle- 20, New Delhi, vide letter dated 04.03.2011. All the papers and documents pertaining to the assessee were examined and after satisfying that the provisions of section 153C of the Act, notice under Section 153C was issued on 21.05.2012 for assessment years 2005-06 to 2010-11. Vide letter dated 14.09.2012, assessee was reminded to comply with the notices issued. In response to notices, Learned Authorised Representative of the assessee company filed letter dated 08.10.2012 challenging notice under Section 153C of the Act for assessment year 2005-06 to 2010-11. Satisfaction recorded under Section 153C of the Act was provided to the assessee vide letter dated 18.10.2012. Notice under Section 142(1) along with questionnaire dated 08.11.2012 was issued. The Learned Authorised Representative of assessee company vide letter dated 22.11.2012 challenged notice under Section 153C of the Act. The Learned Authorised Representative vide letter dated 03.12.2012 filed rectification petiti....

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....vt. Ltd Vs. DCIT, ITA No. 2545/Del/2023, dated 27.02.2025. "8. The same view is expressed by the Hon'ble Delhi high court in other cases relied upon by the Id. AR. The Hon'ble Orissa High court in the case of Serajjudin & Co reported in [2023] SCC Online Ori 992 which has also been approved by the Hon'ble Supreme Court by dismissal of the SLP vide order dated 28.11.2023 in SLP (C) Diary no. 44989/2023 under identical circumstances has held the approval granted as invalid. Thus by respectfully following the ratio laid down by the Hon'ble jurisdictional high court in the case of Shiv Kumar Nayyar, reported supra, and also in the case of Serajjudin & Co, supra, the approval granted in this case is without application of mind and consequently the assessment order is annulled. The ground of appeal No. 5 of the assessee is allowed" * ITAT Delhi in the case of Pawan Kumar Midha Vs. DCIT/ACIT (Central), 2025 (4) TMI 142, dated 21.03.2025 * ITAT Delhi in the case of M/s Confident Distributors Pvt Ltd. Vs. DCIT CC-1, Faridabad, 2025 (3) TMI 1217, dated 07.03.2025 * ITAT Delhi in the case of Inder Chand Bajaj Vs. DCIT Central Circle-32 Delhi, 2025 (1) TMI 970, dated 17....

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....Below and submitted that it cannot be disbelieved that Additional CIT hold the concurrent jurisdiction and that the assessment is a continuous process involving administrative as well statutory roles being donned by the Addl. CIT. And it is incumbent on the approving authority to examine and monitor the assessments which can't be denied if the same is not reduced in writing at every point of time till the finalization of the assessment. The approval of the approving authority underlines that he has examined the assessment records, relevant copies of seized documents and the relevant issues arising from the material on record judiciously in independent manner by way of due application of mind. The appellant has to positively prove that there is a case of non-application of mind in light of the submission that the approval u/s 153D is an administrative approval. Relevant seized documents in a case are always part of the assessment records as per practice, and requirement of the work. They are not kept separately as relevant seized material is frequently referred to by the assessing officer during the course of assessment proceedings and also made part of assessment order most of ....

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....an on default." Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Improvement Trust, Ludhiyana vs Ujagar Singh & Ors on 09.06.2010 in Civil Appeal NO. 2395 of 2008 also held that: "......After all, justice can be done only when the matter is fought on merits and in accordance with law rather to dispose it of on such technicalities and that too at the threshold. Both sides had tried to argue the matter on merits but we refrain ourselves from touching the merits of the matter as that can best be done by the Executing Court which had denied an opportunity to the appellant to lead evidence and to prove the issues so formulated. In our opinion, ends of justice would be met by setting aside the impugned orders and matter is emitted to the Executing Court to consider and dispose of appellant's objections filed under Order 21 Rule 90 of CPC on merits and in accordance with law, at an early date. It is pertinent to point out that unless malafides are writ large on the conduct of the party, generally as a normal 1 rule, delay should be condoned. In the legal arena, an attempt should always be made to allow the matter to be contested on merits rather than to throw it on such technalities." 9. Learne....

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.....03.2013 28.03.2013   2007-08 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2008-09 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2009-10 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2010-11 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2011-12 28.03.2013 28.03.2013 Cecil Webber Engineering Ltd. 2005-06 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2006-07 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2009-10 28.03.2013 28.03.2013 Pavitra Commercials Limited 2005-06 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2006-07 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2007-08 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2008-09 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2009-10 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2010-11 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2011-12 28.03.2013 28.03.2013 Pace Enterprises Private Limited 2005-06 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2006-07 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2007-08 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2008-09 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2009-10 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2010-11 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2011-12 28.03.2013 28.03.2013 Mili Marketing Private Limited 2005-06 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2006-07 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2007-08 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2008-09 28.03.2013 28.03.2013   2009-10 2....

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....cope of the concerned provision and more significantly, the import of the phrase- "each assessment year" used in the language of Section 153D of the Act. The relevant paragraphs of the said decision are reproduced as under:- "13. It was held therein that if an approval has been granted by the Approving Authority in a mechanical manner without application of mind then the very purpose of obtaining approval under Section 153D of the Act and mandate of the enactment by the legislature will be defeated. For granting approval under Section 153D of the Act, the Approving Authority shall have to apply independent mind to the material on record for "each assessment year" in respect of "each assessee" separately. The words 'each assessment year' used in Section 153D and 153A have been considered to hold that effective and proper meaning has to be given so that underlying legislative intent as per scheme of assessment of Section 153A to 153D is fulfilled. It was held that the "approval" as contemplated under 153D of the Act, This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. Th....

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....ed the draft orders and finds that it meets the requirement of the law. As explained in the above cases, the mere repeating of the words of the statute, or mere "rubber stamping" of the letter seeking sanction by using similar words like "seen" or "approved" will not satisfy the requirement of the law. This is where the Technical Manual of Office Procedure becomes important. Although, it was in the context of section 158BG of the Act, it would equally apply to section 153D of the Act. There are three or four requirements that are mandated therein, (i) the Assessing Officer should submit the draft assessment order "well in time". Here it was submitted just two days prior to the deadline thereby putting the approving authority under great pressure and not giving him sufficient time to apply his mind ; (ii) the final approval must be in writing ; (iii) the fact that approval has been obtained, should be mentioned in the body of the assessment order." [Emphasis supplied] 14. During the course of arguments, learned counsel for the assessee apprised this Court that the Special Leave Petition preferred by the Revenue against the decision in the case of Serajuddin (supra), came to be....

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.... day is the subject matter of dispute before us. Further, section 153D provides that approval has to be granted for each of the assessment year whereas, in the instant case, the ld. Addl. CIT has granted a single approval for all assessment years put together." 17. Notably, the order of approval dated 30.12.2020 which was produced before us by the learned counsel for the assessee clearly signifies that a single approval has been granted for AYs 2011-12 to 2017-18 in the case of the assessee. The said order also fails to make any mention of the fact that the draft assessment orders were perused at all, much less perusal of the same with an independent application of mind. Also, we cannot lose sight of the fact that in the instant case, the concerned authority has granted approval for 43 cases in a single day which is evident from the findings of the ITAT, succinctly encapsulated in the order extracted above." 9. The Hon'ble Orissa High Court in the case of ACIT vs Serajuddin & Co. 454 ITR 312 (Orissa) had an occasion to examine substantial question of law on the propriety of approval granted under s. 153D of the Act. The Hon'ble High Court made wide ranging observations towards ....