2011 (4) TMI 1184 - HC - Income Tax

Income from undisclosed sources - sale and purchase of the shares by the assessee was a bogus transaction - Held that - As per the decision of this Court in Som Nath Maini v. CIT 2006 (11) TMI 189 - PUNJAB AND HARYANA HIGH COURT wherein, in the case of family member of the assessee, Shri Som Nath Maini, this Court had held identical transactions to be non- genuine - Decided against the assessee. Reopening of assessment - Held that - Explanation 3 to section 147 has been inserted by Finance (No. 2) Act, 2009, retrospectively from 1-4-1989 wherein it has been provided that the Assessing Officer is justified in making addition even in respect of those issues which come to his notice subsequently in the course of reassessment proceedings though such issue was not included in the reasons recorded while initiating proceedings under section 147 - argument raised by the assessee does not carry any weight - Against assessee.

Summary

Issues:
1. Reassessment proceedings based on incorrect notice under section 148 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
2. Justification of concluding sale and purchase of shares as a bogus transaction without substantial evidence.

Issue 1: Reassessment Proceedings
The case involves an appeal under section 260A of the Income-tax Act, 1961 against an order dated 28-11-2006 by the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal. The appellant challenged the reassessment proceedings initiated based on a notice issued under section 148 of the Act, which was deemed incorrect. The appellant argued that the reassessment was unjustified and against the law, as the original notice was found to be incorrect. The Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals) had initially deleted the additions made during reassessment, but the Tribunal reversed this decision, upholding the additions.

Issue 2: Sale and Purchase of Shares
The Tribunal concluded that the sale and purchase of shares by the assessee were not genuine, leading to additions to the income from undisclosed sources. The Assessing Officer found discrepancies in the transactions related to the shares of M/s. Ankur International Ltd. The Tribunal's decision was based on the lack of substantial evidence supporting the genuineness of the transactions. The Tribunal highlighted various discrepancies, such as the failure to produce relevant documents, non-trading of shares beyond a certain date, and structured transactions involving the same shares being circulated among different parties on the same day. The Tribunal's findings were upheld, as no errors of law or perversity were identified in the decision. The Court also referred to a previous case with similar circumstances where the Tribunal's decision was upheld, indicating no substantial question of law.

In conclusion, the Court dismissed the appeal, affirming the Tribunal's decision on both issues. The judgment emphasized the importance of substantial evidence in transactions and highlighted the retrospective insertion of Explanation 3 to section 147 of the Act, allowing additions based on issues identified during reassessment, even if not initially included in the reasons recorded for initiating proceedings under section 147.