Nagarjuna Homes , Secunderabad V. Income Tax Officer(TDS), Ward-2(1), Hyderabad

ITA 312/Hyd/2019

• Counselvise Citation: [2021] 108 COUNSELVISE.COM (IT) 6147 (ITAT-HYDERABAD)
• Duration Of Justice: 2 year(s) 1 month(s) 14 day(s)
• Appeal Type: Income Tax Appeal
• Pronouncement Date: 21-04-2021
• Appeal Filed By: Assessee
• Order Result: Allowed
• Bench Allotted: DB-B
• Next Hearing Date: 08-04-2021
• Assessment Year: 2013-2014
• Appeal Filed On: 08-03-2019
• Result in Favour of: Assessee
• Court: TRIBUNAL
• Keywords: TDS; Set aside
• Section: 234E; 200A; 201; 13; 2

Judgement Text

IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL HYDERABAD BENCHES B : HYDERABAD (THROUGH VIRTUAL CONFERENCE) BEFORE SHRI SATBEER SINGH GODARA, JUDICIAL MEMBER AND SHRI LAXMI PRASAD SAHU, ACCOUNTANT MEMBER IT A NO S . 312, 313 & 314 /H/201 9 ASSESSMENT YEAR S : 20 1 3 - 1 4 , 2014 - 15 & 2015 - 16 NAGARJUNA HOMES, SECUNDERABAD PAN A ACFN 5803C VS. INCOME - TAX OFFICER (TDS) , WARD 2( 1 ), HYDERABAD. (APPELLANT S ) (RESPONDENT) ASSESSEE BY : NONE REVENUE BY : SHRI ROHIT MUJUMDAR DATE OF HEARING: 08 /0 4 /2021 DATE OF PRONOUNCEMENT: 20 / 0 4 /2021 O R D E R PER BENCH : TH E S E ARE THE APPEALS FILED BY ASSESSEE FOR AY 20 13 - 14 TO 2015 - 16 DIRECTED AGAINST THE C I T(A) - 8 , HYDERABAD S COMMON ORDER , DATED 17 /0 5 / 201 8 , INVOLVING PROCEEDINGS U/S 200A OF THE INCOME TAX ACT, 1961 ; IN SHORT THE ACT . 2. WE NOTICE AT THE OUTSET THAT ASSESSEES APPEALS SUFFER FROM 210 DAYS DELAY IN FILING BEFORE ITAT . TO THIS EFFECT, THE ASSESSEE FILED AN AFFIDAVIT AFFIRMING , INTER - ALIA THEREIN THAT I TA NO S . 312 TO 314 / HYD/1 8 NAGARJUNA HOMES , SECBAD. : - 2 - : SINCE HIS COUNSEL S SISTERS DEMISE AT THE RELEVANT POINT OF TIME CAUSED THE IMPUGNED DELAY IN FILING OF THE APPEALS. CASE LAW COLLECTO R LAND ACQUISITION VS MST. KATIJI & ORS, 1987 AIR 1353 (SC) AND UNIVERSITY OF DELHI VS. UNION OF INDIA, CIVIL APPEAL NO. 9488 & 9489/2019 DATED 17 DECEMBER, 2019, HOLD THAT SUCH A DELAY; SUPPORTED BY COGENT REASONS, DESERVES TO BE CONDONED SO AS TO MAK E WAY FOR THE CAUSE OF SUBSTANTIAL JUSTICE. WE ACCORDINGLY HOLD THAT ASSESSEES IMPUGNED DELAY OF 210 DAYS IS NEITHER INTENTIONAL NOR DELIBERATE BUT DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND ITS CONTROL. THE SAME STANDS CONDONED. CASES ARE NOW TAKEN UP FOR ADJUDICATION ON MERITS. 3. THE SUBSTANTIVE GROUND RAISED BY THE ASSESSEE IN THESE APPEALS IS THAT THE CIT(A) ERRED IN UPHOLDING THE LATE FEE LEVIED BY THE AO U/S 234E . 4 . BRIEF FACTS OF THE CASE ARE, THE ASSESSEE COMPANY FILED ITS STAT EMENTS IN FORM NO. 26Q & 24Q FOR ALL QUARTERS F OR FY 2012 - 13 TO 2014 - 15 RELEVANT TO AYS 2013 - 14 TO 2015 - 16 . ON VERIFICATION OF THESE STATEMENTS, THE AO NOTICED THAT THE ASSESSEE FILED ALL THESE STATEMENTS, BELATEDLY AND HENCE, RAISED A DEMAND IN T HE SAID FY ON ACCOUNT OF LATE FILING LEVY U/S 234E BY ISSUING INTIMATIONS U/S 200A. 5 . AGAINST THE SAID ACTION OF AO, ASSESSEE PREFERRED APPEALS BEFORE THE CIT(A) WITH A DELAY OF RANGING BETWEEN I TA NO S . 312 TO 314 / HYD/1 8 NAGARJUNA HOMES , SECBAD. : - 3 - : 3 - 4 YEARS. THE CIT(A) DISMISSED THE APPEALS IN - LIMINE WITHOUT CONDONING THE DELAY IN FILING THE APPEALS BEFORE HIM. 6 . AGGRIEVED BY THE ORDERS OF CIT(A), THE ASSESSEE PREFE RRED APPEALS BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL. 9 . NONE APPEARED ON BEHALF OF ASSESSEE AT THE TIME OF HEARING OF THESE APPEALS. HOWEVER, WE PROCEED TO DISPOSE OF THESE APPEALS AFTER HEARING LD. DR AND FACTS AVAILABLE ON RECORD. IT IS SEEN THAT PRIOR TO 01.06.2015, THERE WAS NO ENABLING PROVISION IN THE ACT U/S 200A FOR RAISING DEMAND IN RESPECT OF LEVY OF FEE U/S 234E OF THE ACT. THE PROVISION OF SECTION 234E OF THE ACT IS CHARGING PROVISION I.E. SUBSTANTIVE PROVISION WHICH COULD NOT BE APPLIED RETROSPEC TIVELY, UNLESS IT IS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THE ACT, TO LEVY THE LATE FEE FOR ANY DELAY IN FILING THE TDS STATEMENT FOR THE PERIOD PRIOR TO 01.06.2015. THE COUNSEL FOR THE ASSESSEE HAS RIGHTLY CONTENDED THAT IN THE ABSENCE OF ENABLING PROVISIONS U/S 200A OF THE ACT, SUCH LEVY OF LATE FEE IS NOT VALID . 9 . 1 WE FIND THAT SIMILAR ISSUE CAME UP FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE THE COORDINATE BENCH OF THIS TRIBUNAL IN THE CASE OF M/S TERRA INFRA DEVELOPMENT LTD., HYDERABAD IN ITA NOS. 1876 & 1875/HYD/2017 FOR AYS 2013 - 14 AND 2014 - 15, I TA NO S . 312 TO 314 / HYD/1 8 NAGARJUNA HOMES , SECBAD. : - 4 - : ORDER DATED 03/10/2018, WHEREIN THE COORDINATE BENCH HAS HELD AS UNDER: 4. WE FIND THAT THOUGH THE PROVISIONS FOR LEVY OF FEE IN CERTAIN CASES HAS BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE STATUTE BOOK W.E.F. 1.7.2012, IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UNDER THE PURVIEW OF SECTION 200A ONLY W.E.F. 1.6.2015. THEREFORE, AS RIGHTLY HELD BY THE COORDINATE BENCH IN THE CASE OF M/S. SONALAC PAINTINGS & COATINGS LTD (CITED SUPRA) WE HOLD THAT THE INTEREST U/S 234E CANNOT BE LEVIED IN RESPECT OF TDS RETURNS FILED PRIOR TO 1.6.2015. FOR THE SAKE OF READY REFERENCE, THE RELEVANT PARA IS REPRODUCED HEREUNDER: '10. NOW COMING TO THE MERITS OF THE CASE, WE FIND FORCE IN THE ARGUMENT OF THE LEARNED COUNSEL FOR THE ASSESSEE THAT PRIOR TO 01.06.2015, THERE WAS NO MANDATE, AS PER THE STATUTE, TO MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENT ON ACCOUNT OF LEVY OF FEES U/S 234E WHILE PROCESSING TDS RETURNS U/S 200A. WE HAVE TAKEN NOTE OF THE ORDER OF THE HON'BLE GUJARAT HIGH COURT HOLDING THE AMENDMENT MADE TO SECTION 200A W.E.F. 01.06.2015, GIVING POWER TO MAKE ADJUSTMENT ON ACCOUNT OF FEES U/S 234E WHILE PROCESSING RETURNS U/S 200A TO BE RETROSPECTIVE IN NATURE, STATING THAT THIS POWER GIVEN TO THE AO IS A MACHINERY PROVISION WHILE THE SUBSTANTI VE PROVISION OF THE POWER TO LEVY FEES U/S 234E WAS ALWAYS THERE ON THE STATUTE FROM 01.06.2012. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE NOTE THAT THE HON'BLE KARNATAKA HIGH COURT HELD THAT LEVY OF FEES U/S 234E WHILE PROCESSING RETURNS, TDS U/S 200A PRIOR TO 01.06.2015 WAS WITHOUT ANY AUTHORITY OF LAW. WITH TWO DIVERGENT VIEW OF THE HON'BLE HIGH COURTS ON THE ISSUE AND IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY DECISION BY THE JURISDICTIONAL HIGH COURT, WE CONCUR WITH THE LEARNED COUNSEL FOR THE ASSESSEE THAT AS PER THE WELL ACCEPTED RULE OF CONSTRUCTION, IF TWO REASONABLE CONSTRUCTIONS OF A I TA NO S . 312 TO 314 / HYD/1 8 NAGARJUNA HOMES , SECBAD. : - 5 - : STATUTE ARE POSSIBLE THE CONSTRUCTION WHICH FAVOURS THE ASSESSEE MUST BE ADOPTED. IN VIEW OF THE SAME, RESPECTFULLY FOLLOWING THE DECISION OF THE KARNATAKA HIGH COURT IN THE CASE OF FATHERAJ SINGHVI (SUPR A), WE HOLD THAT THE FEES LEVIED IN ALL THE PRESENT CASES U/S 234E PRIOR TO 01.06.2015 IN THE INTIMATIONS MADE U/S 200A WAS WITHOUT AUTHORITY OF LAW AND THE SAME IS THEREFORE, DIRECTED TO BE DELETED. IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE, ALL THE APPEALS OF THE ASSESSEE ST AND ALLOWED'. 5. RESPECTFULLY FOLLOWING THE SAME, ASSESSEE'S APPEALS FOR BOTH THE AYS ARE ALLOWED. 9 . 2 IN THE CASE UNDER CONSIDERATION, ON PERUSA L OF RECORD, WE FIND THAT THE TDS RETURNS FILED BY THE ASSESSEE FOR THE RELEVANT PERIOD I.E., FY S 2012 - 13 TO 2014 - 15 RELEVANT TO AY S 2013 - 14 TO 2015 - 16 WE RE PRIOR TO 01/06/2015. THEREFORE, RESPECTFULLY FOLLOWING THE SAID DECISION OF THE COORDINATE BENCH, WE SET ASIDE THE ORDERS OF CIT(A) AND DIRECT THE AO TO DELETE THE FEES LEVIED U/S 234E IN ALL THE APPEALS UNDER CONSIDERATION. 9 . IN THE RESULT, ALL THE APPEAL S OF THE ASSESSEE ARE ALLOWED. PRONOUNCED IN THE OPEN COURT ON 21 ST APRIL , 2021 . SD/ - SD/ - ( S.S. GODARA ) (L . P . SAHU) JUDICIAL MEMBER ACCOUNTANT MEMBER HYDE RABAD, DATED : 21 ST APRIL , 20 2 1 . K V I TA NO S . 312 TO 314 / HYD/1 8 NAGARJUNA HOMES , SECBAD. : - 6 - : C OPY TO : 1 NAGARJUNA HOMES, FLAT NOS. 503 & 504, DAFFODILS BLOCK, NAGARJUNA DREAMLAND, KOMPALLY, SECUNDERABAD 500 014 2 IT O (TDS) , WARD 2( 1 ), 4 TH FLOOR, D BLOCK, IT TOWERS, AC GUARDS, HYDERABAD 3 C I T( A ) - 8 , HYDERABAD 4 CIT (TDS), HYDERABAD 5 ITAT, DR, HYDERABAD. 6 GUARD FILE.