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Assessment of income as association of individuals or tenants-in-common upon death of individual. Analysis: The judgment pertains to a revision petition challenging the Commissioner's order directing the assessment of income of heirs of a deceased individual as an association of individuals instead of tenants-in-common. The Commissioner based his decision on the lack of separate arrangements for cultivation or accounting among the heirs, indicating common exploitation of lands for earning agricultural income. However, the court found these reasons irrelevant to categorize the heirs as an association of individuals. The court delved into the definition of "person" under the Agricultural Income-tax Act, which includes "association of individuals." It highlighted that an association of persons must have a common purpose to earn income. In this case, the court determined that the heirs did not form a common venture for income generation. It emphasized that under Islamic law, heirs inherit as tenants-in-common with separate rights and interests, allowing individual transfers and devolution of shares. The court referenced legal precedents to support its decision, including cases where co-sharers collecting income individually were not considered an association of individuals. It also cited a case where legatees under a will were treated as tenants-in-common, not an association of individuals. The court distinguished a Patna High Court decision where heirs were deemed an association of individuals due to joint management and income appropriation, which was absent in the present case. Ultimately, the court allowed the revision petition, reversing the Commissioner's order and restoring the assessment of the heirs as tenants-in-common. No costs were awarded in the circumstances of the case.
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