DALJIT SINGH Vs. COMMISSIONER OF WEALTH-TAX

JUDGEMENT

(1.) COMMON questions of law and fact arise out of Wealth-tax References Nos. 1 and 2 of 1977, and they are being disposed of by this judgment.

(2.) THE Income-tax Appellate Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench (hereinafter referred to as "the Tribunal"), referred the following questions of law to us for our opinion, at the instance of the revenue. " (i) Whether there was any material on the record to hold that there was no sufficient cause for filing the return in time ? (ii) Whether the department discharged its onus of proving on the facts and circumstances of the case that the assessed consciously, intentionally or deliberately did not file the return ?"

(3.) THE assessed put forth a plea before the Tribunal that he was not conscious of his obligation under Section 14 (1) of the W. T. Act, 1957 (hereinafter referred to as "the Act"), for filing the relevant returns. This plea was turned down by the Tribunal. An argument is raised on behalf of the assessee that merely because the explanation tendered by the assessee had been found to be unacceptable, it did not empower the authorities under the Act to impose a penalty on him. It has been submitted that Section 18 of the Act was a penal provision and the revenue had to lead some additional evidence to establish that the assessee had failed to furnish the return without reasonable cause. In this connection, reliance has been placed on a Division Bench judgment of the Calcutta High Court in CIT v. Bhuramal Manickchand [1980] 121 ITR 840. That was, however, a case of concealment of income and in that connection a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court laid down that if the only evidence on record was the explanation submitted by the assessee, which had been found to be false, it did not constitute sufficient material for attracting the penalty provisions.