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Issues:
Validity of reopening of assessment under section 17(1)(b) of the Wealth Tax Act for the assessment years 1978-79 to 1981-82. Analysis: The appeals were filed by the Revenue against the orders of the AAC regarding the reopening of assessments for the years 1978-79 to 1981-82. The common issue in all appeals was the validity of the reopening of the assessment under section 17(1)(b) of the Wealth Tax Act. The basis for reopening was that the trust had advanced money to one of the trustees, which was seen as a diversion of trust funds for the trustee's benefit, potentially defeating the charitable purpose of the trust. The AAC concluded that it was a mere change of opinion by the WTO and canceled the reassessment proceedings based on the Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision in a similar case. The Revenue argued that the trust should not have advanced money for the benefit of trustees, leading to the loss of exemption under section 5(1)(i) of the WT Act. The counsel for the assessee contended that the AAC's order was justified. The Tribunal noted that the information about the advance to the trustee was available in the balance-sheet provided during the original assessment, even though the WTO did not specifically address it. The Tribunal held that the conditions for invoking section 17(1)(b) were not met as the information was provided by the assessee and was on record during the original assessment, leading to the cancellation of the reopened assessment. Regarding a similar case involving exemption claimed for wealth in the name of the assessee's wife, the Tribunal found that it was not a case of property being omitted but a change of opinion by the AO. The Tribunal held that there was no failure to disclose facts or new information, rendering the reassessment invalid. The Tribunal's decision was upheld by the High Court, emphasizing the importance of disclosed facts and absence of new information in reassessment proceedings. In line with the precedent set by the case involving Shri Manilal Desai, the Tribunal upheld the AAC's order in the present case, dismissing the Revenue's appeals and rendering the cross-objections moot. The judgment emphasized the significance of disclosed information and absence of new facts in determining the validity of reopening assessments under the Wealth Tax Act.
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