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Issues Involved:
1. Competence and maintainability of the appeal before the Tribunal. 2. Classification of the loss of Rs. 1,50,217 as a speculative loss under Explanation 2 to section 24(1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922. Issue-wise Detailed Analysis: 1. Competence and Maintainability of the Appeal: The first issue concerns whether the appeal before the Tribunal was maintainable. The assessee argued that the first Appellate Assistant Commissioner had accepted the principle that P.D.Os. were commodities and remanded the matter solely for verification of facts. Since the department did not appeal against this remand order, the assessee contended that the findings had become final, and the subsequent appeal was not maintainable. The Tribunal rejected this preliminary objection, stating that the first Appellate Assistant Commissioner's observations were mere obiter dicta and not final decisions. The Tribunal held that the entire matter concerning the nature of the loss was left open for reconsideration by the Income-tax Officer. The Tribunal concluded that the department could appeal against the second Appellate Assistant Commissioner's order, which provided the final finding that the loss was a business loss. The High Court agreed with the Tribunal, stating that the first Appellate Assistant Commissioner's remarks were not conclusive findings but expressions of opinion. The Court emphasized that the department's failure to appeal the first order did not irreparably prejudice its contentions. The appeal to the Tribunal was deemed competent as the department had a grievance only after the second Appellate Assistant Commissioner's final order. 2. Classification of the Loss as Speculative: The second issue was whether the loss of Rs. 1,50,217 was a speculative loss under Explanation 2 to section 24(1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922. The assessee contended that the delivery of P.D.Os. amounted to actual delivery of goods, and therefore, the loss should be treated as a business loss. The Income-tax Officer initially found that the assessee did not maintain any godown and there was no physical delivery of goods. The transactions were settled by the exchange of P.D.Os., which the Income-tax Officer did not consider as actual delivery, classifying the loss as speculative. The first Appellate Assistant Commissioner remanded the case for verification of whether P.D.Os. were transferred on immediate payment. Upon reassessment, the Income-tax Officer maintained that the transactions were speculative. The second Appellate Assistant Commissioner, however, found that P.D.Os. were transferred on immediate payment and concluded that the transactions were not speculative. The Tribunal, relying on the judgment in D. M. Wadhwana v. Commissioner of Income-tax, held that the delivery of P.D.Os. did not constitute actual delivery within the meaning of Explanation 2 to section 24(1). The Tribunal set aside the second Appellate Assistant Commissioner's order, classifying the loss as speculative. The High Court affirmed the Tribunal's view, citing the Supreme Court's interpretation that "actual delivery" means real or physical delivery, not constructive or symbolic delivery. The Court referenced the case of D. M. Wadhwana, where it was held that exchange of P.D.Os. amounted to notional delivery, making such transactions speculative. The Court concluded that the transactions in question were speculative as they were settled by the delivery of P.D.Os. rather than actual delivery of goods. Conclusion: The High Court answered both questions in the affirmative: 1. The appeal to the Tribunal was maintainable. 2. The loss of Rs. 1,50,217 was a speculative loss under Explanation 2 to section 24(1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922. The assessee was ordered to pay the costs of the reference to the Commissioner.
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