IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL RAJKOT BENCH, RAJKOT BEFORE SHRI D.K. TYAGI (JUDICIAL MEMBER) AND SHRI A .L. GEHLOT (AM) I.T.A. NO.68/RJT/2011 (ASSESSMENT YEAR 2001-02) THE DY.CIT, CIR.1 VS SHRI DILIPBHAI H JAVIA JUNAGADH PROP OF M/S SMITH ENTERPRISE JUNAGADH PAN : ABLPJ5380Q (APPELLANT) (RESPONDENT) APPELLANT BY : SHRI MK SINGH RESPONDENT BY: SHRI JC RANPURA DATE OF HEARING : 30-09-2011 DATE OF PRONOUNCEMENT : 30-09-2011 O R D E R PER D.K. TYAGI, JM THIS APPEAL OF THE REVENUE IS DIRECTED AGAINST THE ORDER OF CIT(A)-XXI, AHMEDABAD DATED 31-12-2010 AND PERTAINS TO ASSESSME NT YEAR 2001-02. 2. THE LD.AR POINTED OUT THAT TAX EFFECT IN THIS CA SE IS RS.1,84,391 WHICH HAS NOT BEEN DISPUTED BY THE LD.DR. WE FIND THAT UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES THE ITAT, RAJKOT HAS DISMISSED REVENUES APPEAL IN LIMI NE IN ITA NO.647/RJT/2010 DATED 18-03-2011. THE RELEVANT FINDING IS REPRODUC ED AS UNDER: 2. WE HAVE HEARD THE LEARNED REPRESENTATIVES OF TH E PARTIES AND PERUSED THE RECORD. THE LD.AR OF THE ASSESSEE PLACED BEFORE US A COPIES OF BOARDS INSTRUCTIONS NO.5/2008 DATED 15-5-2008 AND NO.3/2011 (F.NO.279/MISC.142/2007-ITJ) DATED 9-2-20 11 AND POINTED OUT THAT THE BOARD HAS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED THE DEPARTMENT FROM FILING THE APPEAL BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL IN A CAS E WHERE THE TAX EFFECT IS LESS THAN RS.3 LAKHS. THE LD.DR POINTED OUT THAT IN INSTRUCTION NO. 3/2011 (.NO.279/MISC. 142/2007-ITJ) DATED 09-02- 2011 IT HAS BEEN CLEARLY STATED AT PARAGRAPH 11 THA T THESE ITA NO.68/RJT/2011 2 INSTRUCTIONS WILL APPLY ONLY IN RESPECT OF APPEALS FILED ON OR AFTER 15- 05-2008 AND THIS APPEAL IS FILED BEFORE THE INSTRUC TION IS ISSUED. THE SAID CLAUSE READS AS FOLLOWS: 11. THIS INSTRUCTION WILL APPLY TO APPEALS FILED O N OR AFTER 15 TH OF MAY 2008. HOWEVER, THE CASES WHERE APPEALS HAVE BE EN FILED BEFORE 15 TH OF MAY 2008 WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE INSTRUCTIONS O N THIS SUBJECT, OPERATIVE AT THE TIME WHEN SUCH APPEAL WAS FILED. 3. ON THE OTHER, THE LD.AR FILED A COMPARATIVE CHAR T OF BOTH THE INSTRUCTIONS, I.E. INSTRUCTIONS INSTRUCTIONS NO.5/2 008 DATED 15-5- 2008 AND NO.3/2011 (F.NO.279/MISC.142/2007-ITJ) DAT ED 9-2- 2011. HE SUBMITTED THAT IN INSTRUCTION DATED 15-05 -2008 SIMILAR CLAUSE WAS ALREADY THERE. APART FROM THIS, THE BOM BAY HIGH COURT IN THE CASE OF CIT VS PITHWA ENGG WORKS 276 ITR 51 9 (BOM) HELD THAT THE CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECT TAXES BY ITS CI RCULAR DATED MARCH 27,2000, HAS TAKEN A POLICY DECISION NOT TO F ILE REFERENCES IF THE TAX EFFECT IS LESS THAN RS.2 LAKHS. THE CIRCUL AR IS APPLICABLE EVEN TO THE OLD REFERENCES WHICH ARE STILL UNDECIDE D. THE DEPARTMENT CANNOT CONTEND THAT CIRCULAR IS BINDING ONLY WITH RESPECT TO THE NEW CASES AND NOT WITH RESPECT TO TH E OLD REFERRED CASES EVEN IF THE TAX IS LESS THAN RS.2 LAKHS. THE SAME POLICY FOR OLD MATTERS NEEDS TO BE ADOPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT. IN THE LIGHT OF THE JUDGMENT OF THE BOMBAY HIGH COURT WE FIND THAT THE INSTRUCTION DATED 09-02-2011 IS APPLICABLE TO APPEALS FILED BEF ORE ISSUANCE OF INSTRUCTION DATED 09-02-2011. 4. IN THIS VIEW OF THE MATTER, AND IN THE LIGHT OF THE JUDGMENT OF THE BOMBAY HIGH COURT CITED SUPRA, WE DISMISS THE A PPEAL FILED BY THE REVENUE AS NOT MAINTAINABLE SINCE THE TAX EFFEC TIVE INVOLVED IN THE APPEAL IS BELOW RS.3 LAKHS. 3. WE FOLLOW THE ABOVE ORDER OF ITAT AND IN THE LIG HT OF THAT THE APPEAL FILED BY THE REVENUE IS DISMISSED. ORDER PRONOUNCED IN THE OPEN COURT ON 30-09-2011. SD/- SD/- (A.L. GEHLOT) (D.K. TYAGI) ACCOUNTANT MEMBER JUDICIAL MEMBER RAJKOT, DT : 30 TH SEPTEMBER, 2011 PK/- ITA NO.68/RJT/2011 3 COPY TO: 1. ASSESSEE 2. REVENUE 3. THE CIT(A)-XXI, AHMEDABAD 4. THE CIT-III, RAJKOT 5. THE DR, I.T.A.T., RAJKOT (TRUE COPY) BY ORDER ASSTT.REGISTRAR, ITAT, RAJKOT