Section 179 - Insertion of new sections 54A and 54B. - Finance (No. 2) Act, 2019

Insertion of new sections 54A and 54B. 179. In the principal Act, after section 54, the following sections shall be inserted with effect from the 1st day of September, 2019, namely:- Penalty for failure to comply with notices or furnish information. 54A. (1) Any person who fails to, (i) comply with summons issued under sub-section (1) of section 19; or (ii) furnish information as required under section 21, shall be liable to pay penalty of twenty-five thousand rupees for each such failure. (2) The penalty under sub-section (1) shall be imposed by the authority who had issued the summons or called for the information. (3) No order under sub-section (2) shall be passed by the authority unless the person on whom the penalty is to be imposed has been given an opportunity of being heard: Provided that no penalty shall be imposed if, such person proves that there were good and sufficient reasons which prevented him from complying with the summons or furnishing information. Proof of entries in records or documents. 54B. The entries in the records or other documents in the custody of an authority shall be admitted in evidence in any proceedings for the prosecution of any person for an offence under section 3 or this Chapter, as the case may be, and all such entries may be proved either by (i) the production of the records or other documents in the custody of the authority containing such entries; or (ii) the production of a copy of the entries certified by the authority having custody of the records or other documents under its signature stating that it is a true copy of the original entries and that such original entries are contained in the records or other documents in its custody. .