IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL DELHI DELHI DELHI DELHI BENCH BENCH BENCH BENCH E EE E : NEW DELHI : NEW DELHI : NEW DELHI : NEW DELHI BEFORE SHRI BEFORE SHRI BEFORE SHRI BEFORE SHRI G.D. AGRAWAL, VICE PRESIDENT G.D. AGRAWAL, VICE PRESIDENT G.D. AGRAWAL, VICE PRESIDENT G.D. AGRAWAL, VICE PRESIDENT AND AND AND AND SMT. BEENA A. PILLAI SMT. BEENA A. PILLAI SMT. BEENA A. PILLAI SMT. BEENA A. PILLAI, JUDICIAL MEMBER , JUDICIAL MEMBER , JUDICIAL MEMBER , JUDICIAL MEMBER ITA NO ITA NO ITA NO ITA NO . .. . 1213 1213 1213 1213 /DEL/2014 /DEL/2014 /DEL/2014 /DEL/2014 ASSESSMENT YEAR : ASSESSMENT YEAR : ASSESSMENT YEAR : ASSESSMENT YEAR : 20 2020 20 05 0505 05 - -- - 06 0606 06 INCOME TAX OFFICER, INCOME TAX OFFICER, INCOME TAX OFFICER, INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD WARD WARD WARD- -- -39(3), 39(3), 39(3), 39(3), NEW DELHI. NEW DELHI. NEW DELHI. NEW DELHI. VS. VS. VS. VS. SHRI M SHRI M SHRI M SHRI M ARGHOOB ALAM, ARGHOOB ALAM, ARGHOOB ALAM, ARGHOOB ALAM, 1232, GALI NO.11, 1232, GALI NO.11, 1232, GALI NO.11, 1232, GALI NO.11, GREEN MARKET, GREEN MARKET, GREEN MARKET, GREEN MARKET, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, SADAR BAZAR, SADAR BAZAR, SADAR BAZAR, SADAR BAZAR, DELHI DELHI DELHI DELHI 110 006. 110 006. 110 006. 110 006. PAN : AEGPA5747Q. PAN : AEGPA5747Q. PAN : AEGPA5747Q. PAN : AEGPA5747Q. (APPELLANT) (RESPONDENT) APPELLANT BY : SHRI P. DAM KANUNJNA, SENIOR DR. RESPONDENT BY : NONE. DATE OF HEARING : 21 2121 21.03.2016 .03.2016 .03.2016 .03.2016 DATE OF PRONOUNCEMENT : 29.03.2016 29.03.2016 29.03.2016 29.03.2016 ORDER ORDER ORDER ORDER PER G.D. AGRAWAL, VP PER G.D. AGRAWAL, VP PER G.D. AGRAWAL, VP PER G.D. AGRAWAL, VP : :: :- -- - THIS APPEAL BY THE REVENUE FOR THE ASSESSMENT YEAR 200 5-06 IS DIRECTED AGAINST THE ORDER OF LEARNED CIT(A)-XXVIII, NEW DELHI DATED 4 TH DECEMBER, 2013. 2. AT THE TIME OF HEARING BEFORE US, NOBODY APPEARED ON BEHALF OF THE ASSESSEE-RESPONDENT. THIS APPEAL OF THE REVENUE IS, T HEREFORE, BEING DISPOSED OF EX-PARTE QUA THE ASSESSEE-RESPONDENT ON MERITS AFTER HEARING THE ARGUMENTS OF LEARNED SENIOR DR. 3. IT IS OBSERVED THAT THE TAX EFFECT INVOLVED IN TH IS APPEAL BY THE REVENUE IS BELOW `10 LAKHS. THE CBDT IN ITS CIRCULAR NO.21/2015 ITA-1213/DEL/2014 2 DATED 10 TH DECEMBER, 2015 HAS REVISED THE MONETARY LIMIT FOR FI LING OF THE DEPARTMENTAL APPEALS TO THE ITAT AT `10 LAKHS WHI CH IS EVIDENT FROM PARAGRAPH 3 OF THE CIRCULAR, WHICH READS AS UNDE R:- 3. HENCEFORTH, APPEAL/SLPS SHALL NOT BE FILED IN CASE S WHERE THE TAX EFFECT DOES NOT EXCEED THE MONETARY LI MITS GIVEN HEREUNDER:- S.NO. APPEALS IN INCOME - TAX MATTERS MONETARY LIMIT (IN RS) 1. BEFORE APPELLATE TRIBUNAL 10,00,000/ - 2. BEFORE HIGH COURT 20,00,000/ - 3. BEFORE SUPREME COURT 25,00,000/ - IT IS CLARIFIED THAT AN APPEAL SHOULD NOT BE FILED ME RELY BECAUSE THE TAX EFFECT IN A CASE EXCEEDS THE MONETARY LIMITS PRESCRIBED ABOVE. FILING OF APPEAL IN SUCH CASE S IS TO BE DECIDED ON MERITS OF THE CASE. 4. IN PARAGRAPH 10 OF THE CIRCULAR, SUCH MONETARY LI MITS HAVE BEEN MADE APPLICABLE RETROSPECTIVELY. FOR READY REFERENC E, WE REPRODUCE PARAGRAPH 10 BELOW:- 10. THIS INSTRUCTION WILL APPLY RETROSPECTIVELY TO PE NDING APPEALS AND APPEALS TO BE FILED HENCEFORTH IN HIGH COURTS/TRIBUNALS. PENDING APPEALS BELOW THE SPECIFIED TAX LIMITS IN PARA 3 ABOVE MAY BE WITHDRAWN/NOT PRESSED. APPEALS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS SUBJECT, OPERATIVE AT THE TIME WH EN SUCH APPEAL WAS FILED. 5. THEREFORE, THE ABOVE CIRCULAR WOULD BE SQUARELY A PPLICABLE TO THE APPEAL UNDER CONSIDERATION BEFORE US. 6. LEARNED SENIOR DR WHO APPEARED AT THE TIME OF HE ARING BEFORE US STATED THAT HE NEEDS SOME TIME TO CALL FOR THE REPOR T FROM THE ASSESSING OFFICER AS WELL AS INSTRUCTIONS FROM ADMINISTRATIV E CIT FOR ITA-1213/DEL/2014 3 WITHDRAWING THIS APPEAL BECAUSE THE APPEAL WAS FILED W ITH THE APPROVAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE CIT. LEARNED DR FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT IN PARAGRAPH 7 OF THE SAID CIRCULAR, IT HAS BEEN CLARIF IED BY THE CBDT THAT WITHDRAWAL OF THIS APPEAL BY THE REVENUE ON ACCOUNT OF LOW TAX EFFECT SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS A PRECEDENT IN THE SUBSEQUEN T YEARS OF THE ACCEPTANCE OF ISSUES INVOLVED IN THIS APPEAL AND, THEREFORE, IF IN THE SUBSEQUENT YEAR SIMILAR ISSUE ARISES BEFORE THE ITAT WHERE THE APPEAL IS ABOVE THE TAX LIMIT AS PRESCRIBED IN THIS CIRCULAR, THE SAME SHOULD BE DECIDED ON MERITS. 7. AFTER CONSIDERING THE SUBMISSIONS OF LEARNED DR, WE A RE OF THE OPINION THAT THERE IS NO NECESSITY FOR ADJOURNING THE APPEAL AND CALLING THE REPORT FROM THE ASSESSING OFFICER BECAUSE, APPARENTL Y, THE TAX EFFECT INVOLVED IN THIS APPEAL OF THE REVENUE IS BELO W `10 LAKHS. HOWEVER, WE ADD HERE THAT IF ON RECEIPT OF ORDER TH E ASSESSING OFFICER FINDS THAT THE TAX EFFECT IS ABOVE `10 LAKHS OR, IN AN Y OTHER MANNER, THE CIRCULAR IS NOT APPLICABLE, HE WILL BE AT LIBERTY TO FILE THE MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATION. WE ALSO AGREE WITH THE CONTENTION OF THE LEARNED DR THAT THIS ORDER WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS AN ACCEPTANCE BY THE REVENUE ON THE ISSUE INVOLVED IN THIS APPEAL AND WILL NOT BE A N ESTOPPEL FOR THE REVENUE TO TAKE UP THE ISSUE INVOLVED IN THIS APPEAL B EFORE THE ITAT ON MERITS IF THE TAX EFFECT IN THOSE YEARS IS MORE THAN ` 10 LAKHS. WITH THIS REMARK, WE DEEM IT PROPER TO DISMISS THE APPEAL IN T HE LIGHT OF THE CIRCULAR NO.21/2015 OF CBDT DATED 10 TH DECEMBER, 2015. 8. IN THE RESULT, THE APPEAL OF THE REVENUE IS DISMISSED . DECISION PRONOUNCED IN THE OPEN COURT ON 29.03.2016. SD/- SD/- ( (( ( BEENA A. PILLAI BEENA A. PILLAI BEENA A. PILLAI BEENA A. PILLAI ) )) ) ( (( ( G.D. AGRAWAL G.D. AGRAWAL G.D. AGRAWAL G.D. AGRAWAL ) )) ) JUDICIAL MEMBER JUDICIAL MEMBER JUDICIAL MEMBER JUDICIAL MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT VK. ITA-1213/DEL/2014 4 COPY FORWARDED TO: - 1. APPELLANT : INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD- -- -39(3), NEW DELHI. 39(3), NEW DELHI. 39(3), NEW DELHI. 39(3), NEW DELHI. 2. RESPONDENT : SHRI MARGHOOB ALAM, 12 SHRI MARGHOOB ALAM, 12 SHRI MARGHOOB ALAM, 12 SHRI MARGHOOB ALAM, 1232, GALI NO.11, 32, GALI NO.11, 32, GALI NO.11, 32, GALI NO.11, GREEN MARKET, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, SADAR BAZAR, GREEN MARKET, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, SADAR BAZAR, GREEN MARKET, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, SADAR BAZAR, GREEN MARKET, BARA TOOTI CHOWK, SADAR BAZAR, DELHI DELHI DELHI DELHI 110 006. 110 006. 110 006. 110 006. 3. CIT 4. CIT(A) 5. DR, ITAT ASSISTANT REGISTRAR