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The appeal before the Appellate Tribunal concerned the deletion of an addition of Rs.26,50,575 made by the Assessing Officer (AO) under section 68 of the Income Tax Act, treating the initial capital introduced by the partners of the assessee firm as unexplained cash credits. The Tribunal considered whether the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) erred in deleting this addition.The facts of the case revealed that the assessee firm was formed for construction business with four partners. The AO treated the initial capital introduced by the partners as unexplained cash credits due to the lack of documentary evidence proving the source of the capital. The assessee contended that the capital contributions were made for security deposits in the absence of a firm bank account, and all partners had provided necessary documentation to explain the source of their contributions.The Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) examined the submissions and materials presented by the assessee, including PAN cards, income tax returns, bank statements, and audit reports. The Commissioner found that the partners were regular income tax payers and had provided sufficient evidence regarding the source of their capital contributions. The Commissioner noted that the AO had not pursued further inquiries or issued notices to the partners before rejecting the explanations provided by the assessee.The Commissioner relied on legal precedents to determine that if partners had made deposits in their respective capital accounts and the firm had provided satisfactory explanations, the burden of proof was discharged. The Commissioner also emphasized that the firm's responsibility did not extend to investigating the individual sources of the partners' funds. Consequently, the Commissioner deleted the addition of Rs.26,50,575 made by the AO.The Tribunal upheld the Commissioner's decision, noting that the firm was in its formative stage with no business activities conducted during the relevant assessment year. Referring to relevant case law, including decisions of the Hon'ble Allahabad High Court and Hon'ble M.P. High Court, the Tribunal concluded that the addition of the initial capital as unexplained income was unwarranted. The Tribunal also cited a Supreme Court judgment to support its finding that cash credits soon after the commencement of business could represent capital receipts rather than income.In light of the above analysis and legal principles, the Tribunal dismissed the Revenue's appeal, affirming the deletion of the addition made by the AO. The decision was based on the firm's stage of formation, absence of business activities, and the partners' satisfactory explanations for their capital contributions.This judgment highlights the importance of providing documentary evidence to support capital contributions and the burden of proof regarding unexplained cash credits under section 68 of the Income Tax Act. The decision also underscores the distinction between capital receipts and income in the context of business formation and initial financial transactions.
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