CITs directed to sign replies to Parliament questions. - Income Tax - 1468/CBDT

INSTRUCTION NO. 1468/CBDT Dated: May 15, 1982 Recently, in reply to a Parliament Question the report sent by the assessing Income-tax Officer was mechanically forwarded by the Income-tax Officer (Head Quarters) without examining the completeness or relevance of the information supplied to the Question raised. The Board was put to embarrassment while submitting the draft reply for approval by the Minister of State. The extracts of note recorded in the Board's file as approved by the Minister are reproduced below: 5. "Commissioners would also, in future, be advised to personally sign the replies to Parliament Questions, after ensuring the correctness, completeness and relevance of the reply". 2. You will appreciate that the replies/information in response to Parliament Questions should be factually correct, complete and to the point raised. The Board desires that the replies prepared by the subordinate officers should be personally scrutinised at the level of the commissioner of Income-tax to ensure their completeness and correctness in all respects. At this scrutiny, it will also be possible for the Commissioners of Income-tax who are senior and experienced officers to perceive the thrust of the question and its implication. It is, therefore, requested that the replies/information to Parliament questions should, as a rule, be sent to the Board only after the signature of the Commissioner himself. If the Commissioner of Income-tax is absent from the H.Qrs. the I.T.O (H.Qrs) should properly verify the reply/information in such matters before he forwards it to be the Board. If the CIT has earlier approved the reply/information and is absent at the time of despatch of the same, the fact that the reply/information has been seen and approved by the CIT should invariable be mentioned by the ITO (Hqrs.) 3. The instructions should be scrupulously observed by all Commissioners.