Comparison of section 257 "Proceedings before income-tax authorities to be judicial proceedings." between the Income-Tax Act, 2025 (as passed) and the Income-Tax Bill, 2025 (as originally introduced)

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....ngs before income-tax authorities to be judicial proceedings and treat income-tax authorities as civil courts for certain statutory purposes. The primary difference is the insertion, in the enacted text, of a limiting phrase in subsection (2) - "but not for the purposes of Chapter XXVIII of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023." This matters for taxpayers, tax authorities and courts because it adjusts the scope of civil-court status conferred on income-tax authorities. Effective date or decision date: Not stated in the document. Background & Scope Statutory hooks: Section/Clause 257 is located within the Income-tax Act/Bill, 2025 and references specific provisions of two recently enacted central statutes: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhi....

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....to align procedural and evidentiary characterisations of tax proceedings with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and to confer certain civil-court attributes under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The explicit citation of particular sections suggests a targeted application rather than a wholesale importation of all features of judicial or civil-court status. The insertion of the negative qualification regarding Chapter XXVIII indicates a deliberate limitation to avoid extending civil-court status into that Chapter. The provision does not expressly list the consequences that follow from deeming tax proceedings "judicial proceedings" or income-tax authorities "Civil Courts" beyond the cross-references. Exceptions/Provisos The ....

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....er Rules, Notifications, or Circulars is Not stated in the document. Differences between the Bill (Old Version) and the Enacted Section Two substantive differences are visible between the texts provided: * Non-application carve-out: The enacted Section 257 adds a proviso that income-tax authorities are deemed to be Civil Courts for the purposes of section 215 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, "but not for the purposes of Chapter XXVIII of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023." The Bill version included only the deeming to be a Civil Court without this exclusion. * Stylistic/enactment status: The Bill is labeled "Clause 257 - Income Tax Bill, 2025 - Old Version"; the enacted text is labeled "Section 257 - Inc....

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....es are judicial proceedings for the cited sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; this may affect admissibility of evidence, obligations to maintain records, or procedural safeguards where those sections apply. The enacted exclusion of Chapter XXVIII reduces uncertainty as to whether certain civil-court regimes apply; specific risk implications depend on the content of Chapter XXVIII (Not stated in the document). * Record-keeping/evidence points: The deeming as "judicial proceedings" may impose or trigger evidentiary consequences under the referenced sections (for example, penalties for false statements or obstruction under those statutes may apply), so maintaining contemporaneous, accurate records is impliedly important. The text does n....