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Issues:
1. Penalty imposition under section 271(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act for assessment years 1981-82 and 1982-83. Analysis: 1. The appeal for the assessment year 1981-82 was based on the fact that the advance tax paid by the assessee exceeded the assessed tax, resulting in a refund. Citing the Supreme Court's decision in Ganesh Dass Shreeram vs. ITO, it was established that interest for delay in filing the return could not be levied against a firm in such cases. The principle laid down in this decision was deemed applicable to penalty proceedings as well. The Rajasthan High Court and other courts also supported this view. Consequently, the penalty for the assessment year 1981-82 was canceled based on the excess advance tax payment. 2. For the assessment year 1982-83, the advance tax paid did not exceed the assessed tax. The argument about the sickness of the mother was rejected as the date of death did not align with the claim. The only plea made was the delay in filing the return for the previous year, 1981-82, as a reason to avoid penalty for 1982-83. However, it was emphasized that each case must be assessed based on its unique circumstances. In this case, since there was no reasonable cause for the delay in filing the return for 1981-82, the advantage of this default could not be used to avoid penalty for 1982-83. Consequently, the penalty for the assessment year 1982-83 was upheld by the ITO. 3. In conclusion, the appeal for the assessment year 1981-82 was allowed due to the excess advance tax payment, while the appeal for the assessment year 1982-83 was dismissed based on the lack of reasonable cause for the delay in filing the return.
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