Unraveling the Intricacies: Assessing a Political Party's Claim for Income Tax Exemption 2024 (3) TMI 669 - DELHI HIGH COURT - HC

Deciphering Legal Judgments: A Comprehensive Analysis of Case Law Reported as: 2024 (3) TMI 669 - DELHI HIGH COURT Introduction This case pertains to the assessment year 2018-2019, where a political party registered u/s 29A of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, filed its return of income on February 2, 2019, declaring nil income after claiming exemption u/s 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 . The Assessing Officer (AO) rejected the claim for exemption and determined the income of the political party at INR 199,15,26,560/-. Arguments Presented Petitioner's Arguments The petitioner, represented by Mr. Tankha, contended the following: The AO and CIT(A) incorrectly concluded that the petitioner failed to comply with the conditions of Section 13A . The petitioner was entitled to submit the return within the extended time period prescribed u/s 139(4) , not Section 139(4B). The AO erred in concluding that the petitioner received donations exceeding INR 2,000/- in cash, violating clause (d) of the First Proviso to Section 13A . The total income was computed without considering the expenditure incurred by the petitioner. The action initiated by the respondents was actuated by mala fides. The petitioner offered to securitize the outstanding demand before the ITAT, but it was rejected. The petitioner raised the issue of financial hardship, which the ITAT failed to consider. Respondent's Arguments The respondent, represented by Mr. Hossain, contended the following: The petitioner failed to maintain a distinction between voluntary contributions and donations in its books of account. The petitioner had a corpus of INR 6,57,27,94,031/-, net fixed assets of INR 3,40,30,55,660/-, and cash and cash equivalents of INR 3,88,11,58,487/-, indicating no financial hardship. Discussions and Findings of the Court Filing of Return u/s 139 The ITAT held that the petitioner's argument regarding filing the return u/s 139(4) was misplaced, as it would negate the purpose of the Third Proviso to Section 13A , which was introduced to make it mandatory for a political party to furnish its return of income on or before the due date u/s 139. Violation of Clause (d) of the First Proviso to Section 13A The ITAT found that the petitioner had received donations exceeding INR 2,000/- in cash, violating clause (d) of the First Proviso to Section 13A . The ITAT rejected the petitioner's argument that maintaining details as per clause (b) of the First Proviso would negate the violation of clause (d). Computation of Total Income without Considering Expenditure The ITAT relied on the Delhi High Court's judgment in the petitioner's own case, which held that once the income by way of voluntary contributions is not excludible from total income due to the denial of exemption u/s 13A , it is liable to be treated as income from other sources, and no expenditure can be allowed as a deduction. Allegation of Mala Fides The ITAT rejected the allegation of mala fides, stating that the chronology of events did not justify an inference that the recovery proceedings were conducted in undue haste. The ITAT noted that the petitioner had been remiss in taking peremptory steps regarding the outstanding demand and had sought adjournments on multiple occasions, delaying the final hearing of the appeal. Offer to Securitize the Outstanding Demand The ITAT observed that the matter did not proceed along the lines of the petitioner offering to securitize the outstanding demand. However, the court clarified that the 20% deposit mentioned in the Office Memorandum (OM) dated July 31, 2017, is not an inviolable condition, and the authorities can grant deposit orders of a lesser amount on the facts of individual cases. Financial Hardship The ITAT did not explicitly address the issue of financial hardship, but the respondent contended that the petitioner had substantial assets and cash reserves, indicating no hardship. Analysis and Decision by the Court The High Court found no fundamental infirmity in the prima facie conclusions rendered by the ITAT. The court observed that the ITAT had carefully examined the various contentions and challenges raised and expressed a prima facie opinion, which was required while considering an application for stay. The court noted that the petitioner had been lax in pursuing legal remedies and failed to comply with the conditions imposed by the AO in the earlier stay application. The problems faced by the petitioner were largely of its own making. However, the court granted liberty to the petitioner to move a fresh application for stay before the ITAT, considering the change in circumstances, wherein an amount of INR 65.94 crores (approximately 48% of the outstanding demand) had been recovered by the respondents. The court left it to the ITAT to consider whether the change in circumstances merited protective measures being granted in respect of the balance outstanding demand and to what extent. Doctrine or Legal Principle Discussed The judgment discusses the principles governing the grant of stay of demand by the ITAT. The ITAT is required to consider the existence of a prima facie case, undue hardship, and the likelihood of the assessee ultimately succeeding in its challenge. The ITAT is expected to form a tentative opinion on the merits of the case while considering an application for stay. Comprehensive Summary The High Court upheld the ITAT's prima facie findings rejecting the petitioner's claim for exemption u/s 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 . The court found no manifest illegality in the ITAT's order, which had carefully examined the various contentions raised by the petitioner. The court observed that the petitioner had been remiss in taking timely steps to secure the outstanding demand and had sought multiple adjournments, delaying the final hearing of the appeal. However, considering the change in circumstances, wherein a substantial amount had been recovered by the respondents, the court granted liberty to the petitioner to move a fresh application for stay before the ITAT. The court clarified that the 20% deposit mentioned in the Office Memorandum is not an inviolable condition, and the authorities can grant deposit orders of a lesser amount based on the facts and circumstances of each case. The court left it to the ITAT to consider whether the change in circumstances merited protective measures being granted in respect of the balance outstanding demand and to what extent. Full Text : 2024 (3) TMI 669 - DELHI HIGH COURT