Applying the proposition of law laid down in these cases to the facts of the case we
hold that the reopening is bad in law as the reasons recorded are without independent
application of mind."
In the case of CIT versus Atul Jain (supra)
also the Hon'ble High Court found the information available with the
Assessing Officer as scanty and vague.
The Assessing Officer has not even
recorded his satisfaction about the correctness or otherwise of the information or his
Page | 10
ITA No.2143/KOL/2024
Anju Daruka; A.Y. 2013-14
satisfaction that a case has been made out for issuing a notice under section 148 of
the Act. Read in this light, what has been recorded by the Assessing Officer as his
"reasons to believe" is nothing more than a report given by him to the Commissioner
of Income-tax. As held by the Supreme Court in Chhugamal Rajpal [1971] 79 ITR 603,
the submission of a report is not the same as recording of reasons to believe for
issuing a notice. The Assessing Officer has clearly substituted form for substance and,
therefore, the action of the respondent falls foul of the law laid down by the Supreme
Court in Chhugamal Rajpal [1971] 79 ITR 603 which is clearly applicable to the facts of
these appeals.
13. Above noted conclusion gets support from the judgment of Hon'ble jurisdictional
High Court of Delhi in the case of CIT vs. Insecticides (India) Ltd. (supra) wherein their
Lordship by referring to its earlier judgments in the case of CIT vs. Atul Jain (supra) and
Signature Hotels P. Ltd. (supra) held that where the information relied upon by the
Assessing Officer for initiating proceedings u/s. 147 of the Act did not indicate the
source of alleged unexplained credit and it is also not clear that the transactions were
taken place with whom in that case there were absolutely no details available and the
information supplied was extremely scanty and vague and in that light of the fact in
view of said preposition initiation of proceedings u/s. 147 of the Act and issuance of
notice u/s. 148 of the Act has to be held as not valid and sustainable being bad in law
resulting in to inevitable invalidation of assessment order. Thus, we are inclined to hold
that the Assessing Officer proceeded to initiate reassessment proceedings only on the
basis of material received from search/survey authority of Jain Brothers without
applying his mind to the report and other alleged documentary evidence and thus we
8 ITA No.1064/Del/2018
have no hesitation to hold that the Assessing Officer proceeded merely on basis of
borrowed satisfaction and he had no factual information in his hand to have reason to
believe that income had escaped assessment for AY 2009-10. Said conclusion leads to
an inevitable invalidation of entire proceedings and consequent orders including
reassessment order dated 28.03.2016 from A.Y. 2009-10 and consequently, we quash
the same. Accordingly, grounds no. 1 & 2 of assessee are allowed.
The Assessing Officer has not even recorded his
satisfaction about the correctness or otherwise of the information or his
satisfaction that a case has been made out for issuing a notice under
section 148 of the Act. Read in this light, what has been recorded by the
Assessing Officer as his "reasons to believe" is nothing more than a report
given by him to the Commissioner of Income-tax. As held by the Supreme
Court in Chhugamal Rajpal [1971] 79 ITR 603, the submission of a is not
the same as recording of reasons to believe for issuing a notice. The
Assessing Officer has clearly substituted form for substance and,
therefore, the action of the respondent falls foul of the law laid down by
the Supreme Court in Chhugamal Rajpal [1971] 79 ITR 603 which is
clearly applicable to the facts of these appeals."
and in the case of 'CIT
vs. Atul Jain' reported in [2008] 299 ITR 383 (Delhi), further of the
Hon'ble Punjab and Haryana High Court in the case of 'CIT vs.
Paramjit Kaur' reported in (2009) 311 ITR 38 (P&H).