"11. After hearing both the sides, we find force in assessee's arguments.
The Assessee merely sells the raw materials / CKD units to DCIL. It is DCIL
which carries out further activity of assembling the same and selling the
finished cars. There are no further activities carried out by the Appellant in
India in this connection. This transaction ends with the Appellant selling
the raw materials / CKD. No income from such sale accrues or arises to the
Assessee in India. In other words no part of such profits accrue from or can
be attributed to any activities of the assessee or his agent in India. The
Apex Court in the case of CIT Vs Hyundai Industries Ltd (291 ITR 482) has
held that in the case of an agreement with a South Korean Company for
fabrication and installation of Oil exploration platform, the PE attributable
to installation and commissioning came into existence only after the
supply of the equipment. Therefore, profits from supply of the platform did
not accrue in India. Similarly in the case of Ishikawajima Harima Heavy
Ind.
The Supreme Court in Commissioner of Income Tax and Anr vs Hyundai
Heavy Industries Co Ltd & Ors reported in 291 ITR Pg 482 specifically stated
the principles on which profits of a company had to be apportioned between the
head office and the permanent establishment in India for the purpose of taxation.
Therefore on the basis of the above decisions and the international agreement the
permanent establishment of the foreign company in India is to be treated as if it
were an assessee. The permanent establishment is to be taken as an assessee
and the foreign company or the head office is not to be treated as such assessee
and the income to be computed accordingly on the above principles of
proportionality, in as much as, the above agreement is applied with the Act the
foreign company cannot be an assessee. Its assessable income is the assessable
income of the branch and the other income or expense which it receives or makes
is to be computed separately as attributable to the foreign company, not being
such permanent establishment.
47. As noticed earlier, there seems to be no dispute that the title
to the equipment passed in favour of Reliance overseas.
However, the AO, CIT (A) and ITAT did not consider the same to
be relevant as according to them, the equipment continued to be
in the possession of the "Nortel Group' till its final acceptance by
Reliance. In our view, even if it is accepted that the equipment
supplied overseas continued to be in possession of Nortel India
till the final acceptance by Reliance, the same would not imply
that the Assessee's income from supply of equipment could be
taxed under the Act. Clause (a) of Explanation 1 to Section 9(l)(i)
of the Act postulates the principle of apportionment and only such
income that can be ~ reasonably attributed to operations in
India would be chargeable to tax under the Act. The position in
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (supra) was also similar.
There too, the equipments were supplied overseas and the
contractor continued to retain control of equipment and material
till the provisional acceptance of the work or the termination of
the contract.
5.8 The ratio of the decision in the case of DIT vs Ishikawajma-
Harima heavy industries Ltd (supra) is not applicable over the
facts of the instant case as supply obligation and service
obligation are interlinked and complement to each other .