Can income-tax reassessment notice under S. 148 be issued on ‘change of opinion’ for material scrutinised in previous assessment? Gujarat HC answers

Documents relating to proof of deduction under Section 54F of the Act; Bank statement showing payment for above deduction; Statement justifying sale consideration; Working of capital gain were all furnished by the assessee.

Gujarat High Court

Gujarat High Court: In a special civil application challenging notice under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (‘the Act’) to reopen the income-tax assessment for the assessment year 2016-17, the Division Bench of Bhargav D. Karia and Niral R. Mehta allowed the petition and quashed the impugned notice issued under Section 148 of the Act, opining that formation of opinion by the Assessing Officer on basis of the material already available on record and/or the material which were already considered by the then Assessing Officer, was only ‘change of opinion’.

Factual Matrix

The petitioner sold an immovable property along with other co-owners for an undefined consideration of Rs. 12,35,90,464/-, wherein the petitioner’s share was Rs.2,83,54,388/-. The petitioner having made a specific investment, claimed a deduction of Rs. 01,33,02,123/- under Section 54-F of the Act. Details of such investment are reflected in the return of income for the year 2016-17, in which a total income of Rs. 88,84,560/- was declared. The respondent authority vide notice under Section 142(1) of the Act called upon the petitioner to furnish various details including justification of sale consideration of Rs. 2,83,54,388/- and purchase deed of residential property of Rs. 1,33,02,123/- to establish genuineness of deduction under Section 54 of the Act. The petitioner furnished the required details and information. The then Assessing Officer having satisfied himself, framed the assessment under Section 143(3) of the Act vide order dated 15-12-2018 without disturbing the original income declared by the petitioner. However, in 2021 a notice was issued by the Revenue under Section 148 of the Act for reopening the case for the year 2016-17.

Issue

Whether the impugned notice under Section 148 of the Act was legal and justified?

Analysis and Decision

On perusal of the reasons recorded by the Revenue for reopening of the assessment, the Court noted that the main ground mentioned that the petitioner was not entitled for claiming deduction under Section 54-F of the Act and the details for sale of immovable property and purchase of new property were without any supporting evidence.

Considering the abovementioned ground and submission of documents by the assessee, the Court opined that at the time of filing the original return and thereafter in the scrutiny, the petitioner had already furnished the requisite details about the transaction of sale and purchase of immovable property and the working of capital gain along with all the necessary evidence, hence, formation of opinion by the Assessing Officer on basis of the material already available on record and/or the material which were already considered by the then Assessing Officer, was nothing but a ‘change of opinion’. The Court pointed out that no new information and/or any tangible material was found. Thus, the formation of any opinion based on the same facts and circumstances which were then available to the Assessing Officer at the time of scrutiny was change of opinion and thereby the same is not permissible.

Apropos, the Court relied on CIT v. Kelvinator of India Ltd., (2010) 2 SCC 723 wherein it was laid down that the Assessing Officer has no power to review; he has the power to re-assess, but re-assessment has to be based on fulfilment of certain pre-condition and if the concept of “change of opinion” is removed, then, in the garb of re-opening the assessment, the review would take place. One must treat the concept of “change of opinion” as an in-built test to check abuse of power by the Assessing Officer.

[Hareshkumar Bhupatbhai Panchani v. Income Tax Officer, 2024 SCC OnLine Guj 3674, decided on: 17-09-2024]

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