TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2025 (7) TMI 1923
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....legal grounds as well as grounds on merits. The Ld. Counsel for the assessee submitted that he would assail the legal ground first and if the said legal ground is answered affirmative, then the grounds on merits shall become academic only. 3. The legal issue that has been raised by the Ld. Counsel for the assessee is that in the present case, notice u/s. 148 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (for short 'the Act') for reopening of the assessment is invalid for the fact that the said notice was sent beyond the period of four years without recording any failure on the part of the assessee for disclosing truly and fully all material facts. The case of the assessee pertains to A.Y.2012-13 and the applicability for such assessment year, the reopenin....
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.... of the assessment year in cases where income escaping assessment is Rs.1 lakh or more and since in the case of the assessee income escaping assessment for A.Y.2012-13 is Rs.61,65,450/- which was more than Rs.1 lakh therefore, the case of the assessee was rightly reopened within 6 years by issuing notice u/s. 148 of the Act, dated 31.03.2019. 5. In this regard, let us refer to relevant provision of Section 147 of the Act which deals with the contended issue before us: "147. Income escaping assessment.-If the Assessing Officer has reason to believe" that any income chargeable to tax has escaped assessment" for any assessment year, he may", subject to the provisions of sections 148 to 153, assess or reassess" such" income "and als....
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....notice issued under sub-section (1) of section 142 or section 148 or to disclose fully and truly all material fact necessary for his assessment, for that assessment year. None of the limbs applies to the case of the assessee nor the revenue has able to place on record any evidence regarding any failure on the part of the assessee "to disclose truly and fully all material facts necessary for assessment." At the same time, ground taken by the A.O justifying the reopening beyond the period of 6 years saying that whenever there is a case where income escaping assessment is Rs.1 lakhs or more, in such cases, notice u/s. 148 of the Act could have been issued upto 6 years from the end of the assessment year, however, no such limb emanates from the....
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.... itself. (Dr. Premachandran Keezhoth Vs. Chancellor, Kannur University). Further, when a statute vests certain power in an authority to be exercised in a particular manner, then that authority has to exercise its power following the prescribed manner (CIT Vs. Anjum M.H. Ghaswala; State of Uttar Pradesh Vs. Singhara Singh). Any exercise of power by statutory authorities inconsistent with the statutory prescription is invalid.............. xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx 32. A statutory authority may lack jurisdiction if it does not fulfil the preliminary conditions laid down under th....