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Issues Involved:
1. Determination of applicable sub-section under Section 21 of the Wealth-tax Act. 2. Interpretation of "indeterminate or unknown" shares of beneficiaries. 3. Assessment of trustees holding assets on behalf of beneficiaries. Issue-wise Detailed Analysis: 1. Determination of applicable sub-section under Section 21 of the Wealth-tax Act: The primary issue was whether the assessment should be made under sub-section (1) or sub-section (4) of Section 21 of the Wealth-tax Act, 1957. The Wealth-tax Officer applied Section 21(4), asserting that the shares of the beneficiaries were indeterminate. The Tribunal upheld this view, leading to the reference to the High Court. 2. Interpretation of "indeterminate or unknown" shares of beneficiaries: The court examined the interpretation of "indeterminate or unknown" shares under Section 21(4). It was noted that under sub-section (1), the trustee is liable in the same manner and to the same extent as the beneficiary. In contrast, sub-section (4) applies when the shares of the beneficiaries are indeterminate or unknown, treating the beneficiaries as a single individual for tax purposes. The court referenced the definition of "net wealth" and emphasized that the crucial point for determining net wealth is the relevant valuation date. The court analyzed precedents, including the Calcutta High Court's decision in Suhashini Karuri v. Wealth-tax Officer and the Patna High Court's decision in M. Habibur Rahman v. Commissioner of Income-tax, which established that the shares must be known and specific during the accounting period. The court concluded that the number of beneficiaries and their shares must be ascertainable on the relevant valuation date, not at a future date. 3. Assessment of trustees holding assets on behalf of beneficiaries: The court held that the Wealth-tax Officer must determine the beneficiaries and their shares on the relevant valuation date. In this case, the trust deed provided that the income was payable to Padmavati for her lifetime, and upon her death, the corpus would be divided equally among the male children of Jaykrishna. The court found that the shares of the beneficiaries were determinate and known on the valuation date, December 31, 1957, as Jaykrishna had two sons with vested interests in the trust properties. The court rejected the Tribunal's view that the shares were indeterminate due to the potential for Jaykrishna to have more sons in the future. The court emphasized that the assessment must be based on the actual position on the valuation date, and any future changes in the number of beneficiaries were immaterial. Conclusion: The High Court concluded that the provisions of sub-section (1) of Section 21 applied, as the shares of the beneficiaries were determinate and known on the relevant valuation date. The application of sub-section (4) by the Wealth-tax Officer was erroneous. The court answered the reference in the affirmative, ruling in favor of the assessee-trusts and awarding costs to the applicants.
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