Composite SCN covering multiple financial years void as Sections 73/74 require year-specific SCNs and assessments

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....The HC allowed the petition and quashed the composite SCN and resultant assessment order issued by the respondents insofar as they aggregate multiple financial years into a single proceeding. The court held Sections 73/74 (including sub-sections prescribing 3/5-year limitation) treat each financial year as a distinct tax period; therefore issuance of a single SCN spanning more than one financial year is impermissible and results in jurisdictional overreach rendering the order void ab initio. The HC directed that show-cause notices and assessments must be year-specific in accordance with the limitation scheme and statutory safeguards, and that annual returns delineate the applicable tax period for issuance of SCNs.....