Section 2(11) in The Bengal Agricultural Income-Tax Act, 1944
(11)"previous year" means-(a)the twelve months ending on the 31st day of March next preceding the year for which the assessment is to be made, if the accounts of the assessee have been made up to a date within the said twelve months in respect of a year ending on any date other than the 31st day of March, then at the option of the assessee the year ending on the day to which his accounts have been so made up;(b)such period as may be [determined] [See notification No 609C, dated the 8.3.45, published in the Calcutta Gazette of 1945, Part I, page 415 and notification No. 277 6C, dated the 23.9.46, published in the Calcutta Gazette of 1946, Part I, page 1427.] by the Commissioner in the particular case of any person or class of persons;(c)in the case of income which is partially agricultural income from land and partially [income chargeable under the head of income "Business" or "Profits and gains of business or profession", as the case may be, under the enactments relating to Indian income-tax,] [Words substituted by W.B. Act 18 of 1989.] and the business concerned has been newly set up in the financial year preceding the year for which the assessment is to be made, the period from the date of the setting up of such business to the 31st day of March next following, or to the last day of the period determined under sub-clause (6), or, if the accounts of the assessee are made up to some other date than the 31st day of March and the case is not one for which a period has been determined by the Commissioner under sub-clause (b), then at the option of the assessee, the period from the date of the setting up of such business to such other date:Provided that when such other date does not fall between the setting up of such business and the next following 31st day of March it shall be deemed that there is no previous year:Provided further that where in this clause an option is exercisable by the assessee it shall not be exercisable more than once except with the consent of the Agricultural Income-tax Officer and upon such conditions as such officer may think fit:Provided further that where in this clause an option is exercisable by the assessee and he has been assessed after he has exercised such option it shall not be exercisable by him again so as to vary the meaning of the expression "previous year" as then applicable except with the consent of the Agricultural Income-tax Officer:Provided also that where the assessee is a partner in a firm, the expression "previous year" in respect of his share of the agricultural income of the firm means the previous year as determined for the assessment of the agricultural income of the firm;
