2012 (1) TMI 303 - AT - Income Tax

Summary

Issues involved: Appeal against orders of Commissioner of Income-Tax(Appeals)-V, Chennai for impugned assessment year; dismissal of appeals for non-prosecution by CIT(Appeals).

Summary:
The appellant challenged the orders dated 31.10.2011 of Commissioner of Income-Tax(Appeals)-V, Chennai, alleging that its request for adjournment was overlooked leading to dismissal of the appeals for non-prosecution. The appellant had cited the seizure of records by CB-CID, Department of Tamil Nadu Police as the reason for seeking an adjournment.

Upon hearing the contentions, it was noted that the CIT(Appeals) does not have the power to dismiss an appeal for non-prosecution or non-appearance. The procedure prescribed under Section 250 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 mandates that the CIT(Appeals) must deal with the case on merits in accordance with the law. As the CIT(Appeals) did not address the adjournment application filed by the appellant, the matter was deemed to be remitted back to the CIT(Appeals) for fresh consideration for both years. The order of the CIT(Appeals) was set aside, and the appellant was to be given a fair opportunity to present its case.

Consequently, the appeals of the assessee for both years were allowed for statistical purposes. The order was pronounced in the open court after the conclusion of the hearing on 18th January, 2012.