Commissioner Of Income-Tax vs Mattoo Worsted Spinning And Weaving ... on 4 February, 1980
It is true that the assessee had not specifically claimed the relief, for the above-mentioned assessment year. This may be an omission on his part. But the question is, whether after affording the necessary relief under Section 80J in respect of three later successive assessment years, was it not the duty of the ITO to notify this fact to the assesses in the course of the assessment proceedings for the year 1970-71, and grant the relief ? As observed by the learned Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in All India Groundnut Syndicate Ltd. v. CIT [1954] 25 ITR 90, the right which the Legislature has conferred upon the assessee arises under Section 24(2) of the Indian I.T. Act, 1922, to carry forward the loss of previous years for a period of six years is an absolute unqualified right and that right is an absolute and unqualified right, and that right is not made conditional upon any computation by the ITO or any notice issued by him under Section 24(3). This right arises to an assessee when the assessee had made profits and seeks to set off the losses incurred during the previous years against the profits. The fact that the ITO had not computed the losses of earlier years can have no bearing upon the right of the assessee to claim the deduction.