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TMI Blog2023 (11) TMI 861X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ee is allowed. - Shri Shamim Yahya, Accountant Member And Shri Kul Bharat, Judicial Member For the Assessee : Shri Aman Garg, CA For the Revenue : Shri T. James Singson, CIT DR ORDER PER SHAMIM YAHYA, ACCOUNTANT MEMBER : This appeal by the assessee is directed against the order of the ld. CIT (Appeals)-30, New Delhi dated 30.06.2022 for the assessment year 2018-19. 2. Although the assessee has raised many grounds, ld. Counsel for the assessee has pressed for Ground No.3 which goes to the root of the validity of jurisdiction in this case. The said ground reads as under:- On the facts and circumstances of the case, the learned CIT (A) has erred both on facts and in law, in not appreciating the fact that assessment order passed by AO is null and void as it is in violation of CBDT Circular No.19/2019 requiring mandatory DIN. 3. The AO s order in the case is dated 27.12.2019. At the outset, ld. Counsel of the assessee submitted that there is no DIN mentioned in the ld. AO s order which is contrary to the CBDT Circular No.19/2019 dated 14th August 2019. Hence, he submitted that the said AO s order is void ab initio . He further submitted that in ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... e are technical difficulties in generating/allotting/quoting the DIN and issuance of communication electronically;, or (ii) when communication regarding enquiry, verification etc. is required to be issued by an income-tax authority, who is outside the office, tor discharging, his Official duties: or (iii) when due to delay in PAN migration, PAN is lying with nor.- jurisdictional Assessing Officer; or (iv) when PAN of assesses is not available and where a proceeding under the Act (other than verification under section 131 or section 133 of the Act) is sought to be initiated: or (v) When the functionality to issue communication is net available in the system, the communication may be issued manually but only after recording reasons in writing in the file and with prior written approval of the Chief Commissioner / Director General of income-tax. In cases where manual communication is required to be issued due to delay in PAN migration, the proposal seeking approval for issuance of manual communication shall include the reason for delay in PAN migration. The communication issued under aforesaid circumstances shall stale the fact that the communication is issued manually ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... e written approval of Chief Commissioner / Director General of Income-Tax for issue of manual communication in the following format :- .. This communication issues manually without a DIN on account of reason/reasons given in para 3(i)/3(ii)/3(iii)/3(iv)/3(v) of the CBDT Circular No ...dated (strike off those which are not applicable) and with the approval of the Chief Commissioner / Director General of Income Tax vide number .... dated .... 7. Furthermore, a reading of the aforesaid circular makes it clear that the object behind bringing the circular is for creating an audit trail. In paragraph 2, it has been very clearly mentioned that no communication shall be issued by any income-tax authority relating to assessment, appeals, orders, statutory or otherwise, exemptions, enquiry, investigation, verification of information, penalty, prosecution, rectification, approval etc. to the assessee or any other person, on or after the 1st day of October, 2019, unless a computer generated DIN has been allotted and is duly quoted in the body of such communication. Paragraph 3 of the circular carves out certain exceptions to paragraph 2 by providing that under certain exceptional c ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... a order dated 20.09.2019. 16. The final assessment order was passed by the Assessing Officer (AO) on 15.10.2019, under Section 147/144(C)( 13)/143(3) of the Act. Concededly, the final assessment order does not bear a DIN. There is nothing on record to show that the appellant/revenue took steps to demonstrate before the Tribunal that there were exceptional circumstances, as referred to in paragraph 3 of the 2019 Circular, which would sustain the communication of the final assessment order manually, albeit, without DIN. 16.1 Given this situation, clearly paragraph 4 of the 2019 Circular would apply. 17. Paragraph 4 of the 2019 Circular, as extracted hereinabove, decidedly provides that any communication which is not in conformity with paragraph 2 and 3 shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed to have never been issued. The phraseology of paragraph 4 of the 2019 Circular fairly puts such communication, which includes communication of assessment order, in the category of communication which are non-est in law. 17.1 It is also well established that circulars issued by the CBDT in exercise of its powers under Section 119 of the Act are binding on the revenue. 17. ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... d this circular provided that if any such outstanding loans or advances of past years were repaid on or before June 30, 1955, they would not be taken into account in determining the tax liability of the shareholders to whom such loans or advances were given. This circular was clearly contrary to the plain language of Section 2(6- A)(e) and Section 12(1-B), but even so this Court held that it was binding on the Revenue and since: past transactions which would normally have attracted the stringent provisions of Section 12(1-B) as it was introduced in 1955, were substantially granted exemption from the operation of the said provisions by making it clear to all the companies and their shareholders that if the past loans were genuinely refunded to the companies they would not he taken into account under Section 12(1 -B), Sections 2(6-A)(e) and 12(1-B) did not suffer from the vice of unconstitutionality. This decision was followed in Ellerman Lines case [(1972) 4 SCC 474 : 1974 SCC (Tax) 304 : 82 ITR 913] where referring to another circular issued by the Central Board of Revenue under Section 5(8) of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922 on which reliance was placed on behalf of t ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... te an audit trail. Therefore, the communication relating to assessments, appeals, orders, etcetera which find mention in paragraph 2 of the 2019 Circular, albeit without DIN, can have no standing in law, having regard to the provisions of paragraph 4 of the 2019 Circular. 20. The logical sequitur of the aforesaid reasoning can only be that the Tribunal's decision to not sustain the final assessment order dated 15.10.2019, is a view that cannot call for our interference. 21. As noted above, in the instant appeal all that we are required to consider is whether any substantial question of law arises for consideration, which, inter alia, would require the Court to examine whether the issue is debatable or if there is an alternate view possible. Given the language employed in the 2019 Circular, there is neither any scope for debate not is there any leeway for an alternate view. 21.1 We find no error in the view adopted by the Tribunal. The Tribunal has simply applied the provisions of the 2019 Circular and thus, reached a conclusion in favour of the respondent/assessee. 9. Thus, keeping in view the aforesaid observations of the Hon ble Delhi High Court and in terms of p ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... 16. Further, the Bench takes note of the instructions dated 25.10.19, which lay down that when a document is prepared outside ITBA system and uploaded manually, a DIN is required to be generated prior to uploading the document in ITBA. The instructions make it imperative that the DIN so generated has to be used for reference and quoting a document number in a physical copy. The instructions specifically provide that the user (assessing officer) should physically sign the document after quoting DIN, before uploading. Meaning thereby that generation of DIN is condition precedent for making an assessment manually or otherwise on the ITBA and then before it is uploaded on ITBA, first it should have DIN bearing on its face and then only it should be signed. Thus for the purpose of section 153A/143(3) of the Act, the assessment can be said to be made only when the DIN is quoted on the order before it is signed. If without first generating the DIN and before it is quoted on the order, the order is signed, the order is non-est. 17. The Bench is of considered view that forwarding of the intimation of generation of the DIN in ITBA is only a subsequent action and that is not part of as ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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