Compulsorily convertible debentures remain debt until conversion, requiring fresh interest benchmarking; qualifying written-off trade debts remain deductible.

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....Transfer pricing rules require benchmarking the actual international transaction and generally prohibit re-characterising legally valid compulsorily convertible debentures as equity merely because another commercial structure appears preferable. Compulsory conversion, lack of repayment before conversion, and separate regulatory or accounting treatment do not alter their debt character until conversion. The nil arm's length price for interest was therefore set aside, with fresh benchmarking required using CUP or another permissible method. Bad debts written off are deductible where statutory conditions are met and debtor accounts are correspondingly extinguished; independent proof of irrecoverability is unnecessary. The bad-debt disallowance was deleted.....