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Issues Involved:
1. Charging of interest under sections 139(8) and 215/217 for assessment years up to 1988-89. 2. Charging of interest under sections 234A and 234B for assessment years 1989-90 onwards. 3. Legality of rectification orders under section 154/155. 4. Definition and scope of 'regular assessment' under section 2(40) and its applicability to reassessments. 5. Validity of charging interest in reassessment proceedings. 6. Requirement for a speaking order by the Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals). Issue-wise Detailed Analysis: 1. Charging of interest under sections 139(8) and 215/217 for assessment years up to 1988-89: The appellants disputed the charging of interest under sections 139(8) and 215/217, arguing that these interests could only be charged during regular assessments, not reassessments. The Tribunal noted that the original assessments were completed under section 143(1) resulting in refunds, and no interest was charged initially. The reassessments were later completed under section 147, and no interest was charged at that time either. The Tribunal agreed with the appellants, citing various judgments including Charles D'Souza v. CIT and Smt. Kamlawati v. CIT, which held that reassessments under section 147 do not qualify as 'regular assessments' for charging interest under sections 139(8) and 215/217. 2. Charging of interest under sections 234A and 234B for assessment years 1989-90 onwards: Similar to the interest under sections 139(8) and 215/217, the appellants argued that interest under sections 234A and 234B could not be charged during reassessment proceedings. The Tribunal found that since the original assessments were completed under section 143(1) and the reassessments under section 147 did not qualify as 'regular assessments', interest under sections 234A and 234B could not be charged. 3. Legality of rectification orders under section 154/155: The appellants contended that the rectification orders under section 154/155 were unwarranted as the issues were debatable and not mistakes apparent from the record. The Tribunal held that section 154 allows rectification of mistakes apparent from the record, but issues involving prolonged arguments or two conceivable views fall outside its scope. Citing T.S. Balaram, ITO v. Volkart Bros., the Tribunal concluded that the issues were highly contentious and thus could not be rectified under section 154. 4. Definition and scope of 'regular assessment' under section 2(40) and its applicability to reassessments: The Tribunal examined the definition of 'regular assessment' under section 2(40), which includes assessments under sections 143(3) and 144 but excludes reassessments under section 147 unless it is the first assessment. Since the original assessments were completed under section 143(1), the subsequent reassessments under section 147 were not considered 'regular assessments'. The Tribunal relied on judgments such as Modi Industries v. CIT and CIT v. Haripada Khatua to support this view. 5. Validity of charging interest in reassessment proceedings: The Tribunal concluded that interest under sections 139(8), 215, 217, 234A, and 234B could not be charged during reassessment proceedings as these were not 'regular assessments'. The Tribunal also noted that the Assessing Officer could not charge interest by resorting to section 154 if it was not charged during the original assessments. 6. Requirement for a speaking order by the Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals): The Tribunal criticized the Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals) for not passing a speaking order and not addressing the various grounds of appeal raised by the appellants. The Tribunal emphasized the need for detailed and reasoned orders, which were missing in this case. Conclusion: The Tribunal allowed the appeals, setting aside the orders of the CIT(A) and holding that interest under sections 139(8), 215, 217, 234A, and 234B could not be charged during reassessment proceedings. The Tribunal also found that the rectification orders under section 154 were not justified.
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