IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL B, BENC H KOLKATA BEFORE SHRI A. T. VARKEY, JM &DR. A.L.SAINI, AM ./ITA NO.2038/KOL/2017 ( / ASSESSMENT YEAR:2013-14) ITO, WARD-3(1), BANKURA VS. SUNIL BARAN DEY VILL& P.O. KAMALPUR, DIST. BANKURA, PIN-722137. ./ ./PAN/GIR NO.: ABGPD 3653 B (ASSESSEE) .. (REVENUE) ASSESSEE BY : SHRI ROBIN CHOUDHURY, ADDL. CIT SR. DR RESPONDENT BY : SHRI SUBASH AGARWAL, ADVOCATE / DATE OF HEARING : 19/06/2019 /DATE OF PRONOUNCEMENT : 28/08/2019 / O R D E R PER DR. A. L. SAINI: THE CAPTIONED APPEAL FILED BY THE REVENUE, PERTA INING TO ASSESSMENT YEAR 2013-14, IS DIRECTED AGAINST THE ORDER PASSED BY TH E COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX (APPEAL)-DURGAPUR, WHICH IN TURN ARISES OUT OF AN A SSESSMENT ORDER PASSED BY THE ASSESSING OFFICER U/S 143(3) OF THE INCOME TAX ACT , 1961 (IN SHORT THE ACT) DATED 23/03/2016. 2. RECENTLY THE CBDT HAS ISSUED CIRCULAR NO. 17/201 9 DATED 08.08.2019, WHEREBY THE MONETARY LIMITS FOR FILING OF APPEALS BY THE D EPARTMENT BEFORE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL AND HIGH COURTS AND SLP BEFORE SUPREME COURT HAVE BEEN INCREASED AS MEASURE FOR REDUCING LITIGATION. THE REVISED MONETARY LIMITS LAID DOWN IN PARA-2 OF THIS CIRCULAR ARE AS FOLLOWS: SUNIL BARAN DEY ITA NO.2038/KOL/2017 ASSESSMENT YEAR:2013-14 P PP PA AA AG GG GE EE E | || | 2 22 2 1. BEFORE APPELLATE TRIBUNAL RS. 50 ,00,000/- 2. BEFORE HIGH COURT RS. 1 ,00,00,000/- 3. BEFORE SUPREME COURT RS. 2,00 ,00,000/- 3. IN THE PRESENT CASE, THE DISPUTED ADDITION IS RS . 1,44,23,446/-. SO, THE TAX EFFECT IN THIS APPEAL BY THE REVENUE IS LESS THAN RS.50,00 ,000/-. THOUGH THIS APPEAL HAD BEEN FILED BY THE REVENUE ON 13.09.2017 AND WAS WIT HIN THE MONETARY LIMIT IN THE FORM OF TAX EFFECT FOR FILING APPEALS BEFORE TRIBUN AL, IN VIEW OF THE RECENT CIRCULAR OF CBDT, EVEN SUCH APPEALS WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE NEW MONETARY LIMITS LAID DOWN IN THE CBDT CIRCULAR NO.17/2019 REFERRED TO AB OVE. 4. IT IS A SETTLED LAW THAT THE CIRCULARS ISSUED BY CBDT ARE BINDING ON THE REVENUE. THIS POSITION WAS CONFIRMED BY THE APEX CO URT IN THE CASE OF COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS VS INDIAN OIL CORPORATION L TD. REPORTED IN 267 ITR 272 WHEREIN THEIR LORDSHIPS EXAMINED THE EARLIER DECISI ONS OF THE APEX COURT WITH REGARD TO BINDING NATURE OF THE CIRCULAR AND LAID D OWN THAT WHEN A CIRCULAR ISSUED BY THE BOARD REMAINS IN OPERATION THEN THE REVENUE IS BOUND BY IT AND CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO PLEAD THAT IT IS NOT VALID OR THAT IT IS CONTRARY TO THE TERMS OF THE STATUTE. THE APPEAL UNDER CONSIDERATION HAS CERTAINLY BEEN F ILED CONTRARY TO THE CIRCULAR ISSUED BY THE CBDT CIRCULAR NO.17 DATED 08.08.2019 5. IN THE EVENT, THE REVENUE FINDS AT A LATER POINT OF TIME THAT THE TAX EFFECT IN THE APPEAL IS MORE THAN RS.50 LAKHS OR DESPITE LOW TAX EFFECT THE APPEAL OF THE REVENUE IS MAINTAINABLE, THE REVENUE IS AT LIBERTY TO MOVE THIS TRIBUNAL FOR RECALLING OF THIS ORDER. 6. IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE, WE HOLD THAT THE APPEAL FI LED BY THE DEPARTMENT, AGAINST THE IMPUGNED ORDER OF THE LD. CIT(A), IS CO NTRARY TO THE POLICY DECISION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND AS SUCH THE APPEAL FILED BY THE DEPARTMENT IS DISMISSED IN LIMINE . SUNIL BARAN DEY ITA NO.2038/KOL/2017 ASSESSMENT YEAR:2013-14 P PP PA AA AG GG GE EE E | || | 3 33 3 7. IN THE RESULT, THE APPEAL BY THE REVENUE IS DI SMISSED. ORDER PRONOUNCED IN THE COURT ON 28.08.2019 SD/- ( A.T. VARKEY ) SD/- (A.L.SAINI) / JUDICIAL MEMBER / ACCOUNTANT MEMBER / DATE: 28/08/2019 ( SB, SR.PS ) COPY OF THE ORDER FORWARDED TO: 1. ITO, WARD-3(1), BANKURA 2. SUNIL BARAN DEY 3. C.I.T(A)- 4. C.I.T.- KOLKATA. 5. CIT(DR), KOLKATA BENCHES, KOLKATA. 6. GUARD FILE. TRUE COPY BY ORDER ASSIST ANT REGISTRAR ITAT, KOLKA TA BENCHES