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Special Bench rules on scope of 158BB(1) AIT News Network “What is the meaning and scope of phraseology, “Such other materials or information as are available with the Assessing Officer and relatable to such evidence” appearing in section 158BB(1) of the Act as substituted by the Finance Act, 2002 with retrospective effect from 1.7.1995.”
T H E R U L I N G: In our humble opinion there should be, in the first instance, an “evidence” found as a result of search or requisition of books of accounts or other documents that may constitute the basis of computation of undisclosed income. That “evidence” may not be conclusive to arrive at the finding of undisclosed income and the Assessing Officer may supplement it with “materials” or “information” that he may gather or are otherwise available with him at the time of computation of undisclosed income of the block period. The expression “relatable” appearing in section 158BB(1) permits the Assessing Officer to bring material on record as may be required for computation of undisclosed income in relation to “evidence” found as a result of search. All materials or information gathered by the Assessing Officer or received by the Assessing Officer in the process of computation of undisclosed income on the basis of “evidence” would constitute materials or information “relatable to such evidence”. For example, if during the course of the search an evidence is found to the effect that the assessee had income from a source not disclosed by the assessee, all further materials or information gathered by the Assessing Officer in regard to that source of income and for quantification of the assessee’s income from that source would constitute materials or information relatable to such evidence. Similarly, if for example, during the course of search an evidence is found as to inflation of a particular item of expenditure, the materials or information subsequently gathered by the Assessing Officer in order to find out the other instances of inflation of expenditure would be materials or information relatable to such evidence. In other words, if during the course of search only a part or portion of picture is seen, the material or information gathered by the Assessing Officer to reasonably reconstruct the whole picture would be materials or information relatable to such evidence. It, therefore, follows that while it is not open to the Assessing Officer to investigate new items of undisclosed income, he is entitled to collect further materials or information so as to bring to the logical conclusion evidence found as a result of search. The expression “materials” or “information” are of wider import than “evidence” and as far as the admissibility of such materials and information is concerned, there is no distinction to be drawn between the assessment under the regular provisions of the Act and block assessment. The burden of proof, however, on the Assessing Officer may be greater in block assessment proceedings than in regular assessment proceedings, in view of the fact that while regular assessment is made of income, block assessment is made of undisclosed income. While completing the block assessment the Assessing Officer can include in his computation of undisclosed income only that undisclosed income that the assessee did not disclose in any income-tax proceedings the assessee was bound to do so or the income that the assessee would not have disclosed in the normal course if there was no search. While relying upon any materials or information as a supplement to the evidence found as a result of the search the Assessing Officer is not bound by technical rules of evidence and, therefore, he may take into account facts and circumstances that may not be admissible under Indian Evidence Act and he may arrive at his finding not on the basis of any direct evidence of undisclosed income but on the basis of cumulative effect of all the facts and circumstances relating to the proceedings before him. ( Click here for full Text of ruling AIT-2006-238-ITAT )
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