Mehagram Sree Sree Ramkrishna Satyananda Sevashram, Birbhum V. CIT(Exemption), Kolkata, Kolkata

ITA 1924/KOL/2017

• Counselvise Citation: [2018] 121 COUNSELVISE.COM (IT) 6578 (ITAT-KOLKATA)
• Duration Of Justice: 7 month(s) 22 day(s)
• Appeal Type: Income Tax Appeal
• Pronouncement Date: 20-04-2018
• Appeal Filed By: Assessee
• Order Result: Partly Allowed
• Bench Allotted: A
• Assessment Year: 2017-2018
• Appeal Filed On: 29-08-2017
• Result in Favour of: Partly Allowed
• Court: TRIBUNAL
• Department Lawyers: P K SRIHANI
• Section: 12A; 12AA; 12; 11

Judgement Text

IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL A, BENCH KOLKATA BEFORE SHRI A. T. VARKEY, JM &DR. A.L.SAINI, AM ./ITA NOS.1924/KOL/2017 MEHAGRAM SREE SREE RAMKRISHNA SATYANANDA SEVASHRAM VILL MEHAGRAM, P.O- KURUMGRAM, P.S- NALHATI, PIN- 731 242, DIST. BIRBHUM, WEST BENGAL. VS. C.I.T EXEMPTION, KOLKATA 10B, MIDDLETON ROW, KOLKATA 700071. ./ ./PAN/GIR NO. : AADAM 1741 J (APPELLANT) .. (RESPONDENT) APPELLANT BY :NONE RESPONDENT BY :SHRI P.K. SRIHANI, CIT(DR) / DATE OF HEARING : 09/04/2018 /DATE OF PRONOUNCEMENT : 20/04/2018 / O R D E R PER DR. A. L. SAINI: THE CAPTIONED APPEAL FILED BY THE ASSESSEE, IS DIRECTED AGAINST THE ORDER PASSED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX (EXEMPTION) [HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE CIT(EXEMPTION], KOLKATA U/S 12AA (1) (B) (II) OF THE INCOME TAX ACT, 1961 (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE ACT), DATED 31.05.2017. 2.IN THIS APPEAL, THE ASSESSEE IS CHALLENGING THE ACTION OF THE LD. CIT(EXEMPTION) REJECTING REGISTRATION U/S 12AA OF THE INCOME TAX ACT, 1961. 3. BRIEFLY STATED, THE RELEVANT MATERIAL FACTS ARE AS FOLLOWS. THE ASSESSEE TRUST CAME INTO EXISTENCE,(VIDE CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION) ON DATED 03.08.2012. THE ASSESSEE TRUST FILED AN APPLICATION IN FORM 10A FOR MEHAGRAM SREE SREE RAMKRISHNA SATYANANDA SEVASHRAM ITA NOS.1924/KOL/2017 PAGE | 2 REGISTRATION U/S 12A OF THE ACT, ON 29.12.2016. THE CIT(EXEMPTION) HAS REFUSED REGISTRATION U/S 12AA OF THE ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: (I)TURNOVER OF THE TRUST IS MUCH LESS THAN THE BASIC EXEMPTION LIMIT. (II) TRUST IS NOT FIT FOR REGISTRATION. THEREFORE, CONSIDERING THE ABOVE REASONS, THE LD. CIT(EXEMPTION) REJECTED THE APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF REGISTRATION U/S 12AA OF THE ACT. 4. AGGRIEVED BY THE ORDER OF THE LD. CIT(EXEMPTION), THE ASSESSEE IS IN APPEAL BEFORE US. 5. AT THE TIME OF HEARING, NONE APPEARED ON BEHALF OF THE ASSESSEE, IN SPITE OF ISSUANCE OF NOTICE FOR THE HEARING AND LD DR WAS PRESENT FOR THE RESPONDENT REVENUE. IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY APPEARANCE BY THE ASSESSEE, THE APPEAL IS BEING DISPOSED OFF EX-PARTE QUA THE APPELLANT, AFTER HEARING LD DR ON MERITS IN TERMS OF RULE 24 OF THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL RULES, 1963. 6. WE HAVE GIVEN A CAREFUL CONSIDERATION TO THE RIVAL SUBMISSIONS AND PERUSED THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON RECORD AND AFTER HEARING THE LD. DR FOR THE REVENUE, WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT SO FAR AS GRANT OF REGISTRATION U/S 12AA OF THE ACT IS CONCERNED, THE CIT(EXEMPTION)S JURISDICTION IS ONLY TO VERIFY THE OBJECTIVES OF THE INSTITUTION AND GENUINENESS OF THE ACTIVITIES, MEANING THEREBY THAT, HE HAS TO SATISFY HIMSELF THAT THE OBJECTS ARE CHARITABLE IN NATURE AND THE ACTIVITIES BEING CARRIED ON OR TO BE CARRIED ON ARE GENUINE, MEANING THEREBY THAT, THEY ARE IN CONSONANCE FOR ACHIEVING OF CHARITABLE OBJECT AND NOTHING ELSE. SO FAR AS THE VIOLATION OF PROVISION OF SECTION 13 OF THE ACT IS CONCERNED, THAT IS FOR LIMITED PURPOSE OF TAXING THAT AMOUNT AND DENYING BENEFIT OF SECTION 11 AND 12 OF THE ACT BUT CANNOT BE A REASON FOR REFUSING TO GRANT REGISTRATION U/S 12A OF THE ACT OR CANCEL THE REGISTRATION OF THE TRUST U/S 12A OF THE ACT. IT IS CLEAR FROM READING OF SECTION 12A & 12AA OF THE ACT THAT WHAT IS INTENDED THEREBY IS MEHAGRAM SREE SREE RAMKRISHNA SATYANANDA SEVASHRAM ITA NOS.1924/KOL/2017 PAGE | 3 ONLY A REGISTRATION SIMPLICITER OF THE ENTITY OF A TRUST. THIS HAS BEEN MADE A CONDITION PRECEDENT FOR CLAIMINGTHE BENEFITS OF EXEMPTION UNDER THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE ACT REGARDING EXEMPTION OF INCOME, CONTRIBUTION ETC. NO EXAMINATION OF THE MODUS OF THE APPLICATION OF THE FUNDS OF THE TRUST OR AN EXAMINATION OF THE ETHICAL BACKGROUND OF ITS SETTLERS IS CALLED FOR WHILE CONSIDERING AN APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION. THE STAGE FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE RELEVANCE OF THE OBJECT OF THE TRUST AND THE APPLICATION OF ITS FUNDS ARISES AT THE TIME OF THE ASSESSMENT. WHERE BENEFITS ARE CLAIMED BY THE ASSESSEES IN TERMS OF SECTION 11 & 12 OF THE ACT, THE QUESTION AS TO THE NATURE OF SUCH CONTRIBUTION AND INCOME CAN BE LOOKED INTO. AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION OF THE TRUST, GOING BY THE BINDING JUDGMENTS OF THE APEX COURT, WHAT IS TO BE LOOKED INTO IS WHETHER THE TRUST IS A GENUINE ONE AND WHETHER IT IS A SHAM INSTITUTION FLOATED ONLY TO AVAIL THE BENEFITS OF EXEMPTION UNDER THE ACT. FOR THAT, WE RELY ON THE JUDGMENT OF THE HONBLE HIGH COURT OF KERALA IN THE CASE OF SHEE ANJANEYA MEDICAL TRUST (2016) 382 ITR 399 (KERALA) WHEREIN THE SAME PROPOSITIONS WERE UPHELD BY THE HONBLE HIGH COURT. WE NOTE THAT THE QUESTION WHETHER THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRUST WHICH WAS FORMED WITH THE SPECIFIC INTENTION TO CARRY ON CERTAIN CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES, ARE ACTUALLY CHARITABLE IN NATURE OR NOT, WOULD NOT ARISE FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE STAGE OF GRANT OF REGISTRATION TO THE TRUST U/S 12AA OF THE ACT. GOING BY THE SPECIFIC WORDS IN SECTION 12AA OF THE ACT, WHAT IS GERMANE TO THE ISSUE IS ONLY AS TO THE GENUINENESS OF THE TRUST AND ITS ACTIVITIES. WE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO SUCH FINDING IN THE IMPUGNED ORDER OF THE LD. CIT(EXEMPTION) THAT ACTIVITIES OF THE TRUST WERE NOT GENUINE. GOING BY THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 12A AND 12AA OF THE ACT, WE HOLD THAT THE GROUNDS RAISED BY THE LDCIT(E ) (REGISTERING AUTHORITY), EXPLAINED IN PARA 3 OF OUR ORDER, FOR REJECTING OF REGISTRATION TO THE ASSESSEE TRUST CANNOT BE SUSTAINED AND LD. CIT(EXEMPTION) OUGHT TO HAVE EXAMINED WHETHER ACTIVITIES OF THE TRUST ARE CHARITABLE IN NATURE OR NOT. THEREFORE, WE DIRECT THE LD. CIT(EXEMPTION) TO EXAMINE THE GENUINENESS OF THE TRUST AND ITS ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES AND ADJUDICATE THE ISSUE IN MEHAGRAM SREE SREE RAMKRISHNA SATYANANDA SEVASHRAM ITA NOS.1924/KOL/2017 PAGE | 4 ACCORDANCE WITH LAW. THEREFORE, WE ALLOW THIS APPEAL FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES IN TERMS OF THE DISCUSSION MADE (SUPRA). 7. IN THE RESULT, BOTH THE APPEALS FILED BY THE ASSESSEE ARE ALLOWED FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES. ORDER IS PRONOUNCED IN THE OPEN COURT ON 20/04/2018. SD/ - (A. T. VARKEY) SD/ - (A.L. SAINI) / JUDICIAL MEMBER / ACCOUNTANT MEMBER /KOLKATA; / DATE: 23/04/2018 ( RS, SPS) / COPY OF THE ORDER FORWARDED TO : TRUE COPY BY ORDER SENIOR PRIVATE SECRETARY, HEAD OF OFFICE/D.D.O, I.T.A.T, KOLKATA BENCHES, KOLKATA . 1. /THE APPELLANT- MEHAGRAM SREE SREE RAMKRISHNA SATYANANDA SEVASHRAM 2. / THE RESPONDENT- C.I.T EXEMPTION, KOLKATA 3. ( ) / THE CIT(A), 4. / CIT 5. , , / DR, ITAT, KOLKATA 6. [ / GUARD FILE.