High Court · 2025

"'RESP.NDENTS Petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of lndia praying that in the clrcumstances stated in the affidavit filed therewith' the High Court may be riate writ, order or direction more particularly one tn pleased to issue an aPProP the nature of WRIT OF MANDAMUS holding that the order Passed bY 1st Respondent uls. 147 r.w's 144 read with section 1 448 of the lT Act' dl.24.o2.2o25withDlNNo.ITBA/AST/st147t2024-2511073639521(1)fortheAy. 2O2O-2l,asarbitrary,illegal,badinlaw,voidabinitio'violationofprinciplesof natural justice apart from violation of Articles 1 ' 19 (1Xg) and 265 of constitution oflndiaapartfrombeingviolativeofprovisionsofsectionl48AandSection,l49 oftheActandalsocontrarytothecircularissuedbyCBDTandprovisionsof l section .151A of the Act, and consequenfly set asi Respondent uts. 147 ,;; ;,:","':1.,:t dt24022o2swthDN-J,lrl1lriXi.,^y,i,,::i::,i,iili*rii,,il:,Li;: 2020-21 and all consequential proceedings pursuant thereto, and pass IA NO 10F 2o25 aside the order passed by 1st petition under Section 151 CpC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High court may be pleased to stay all further proceedings' including any recovery, pursuant to the order passed by the 1st Respondent uts. 147 r.w.s .144 rr * with D I N No rrBA/AS r/ or, ro, o _)1,ilH11:,I,I"il T read with :,r:: :1 ",., Counset for the petitioner: SRI THANNERU CHAITANYA KUMAR Counsel for the Respondent No.1 & 2: Ms. B.SA'NA REDD', Jr. SC FOR lT counserf ortheRespondentNo.3::[1ttJ,Tllv+.i?ti;I8l The Court made the following: ORDER DEpuw soLrcrroR cEr,r.eiihL oF rNDIA THE HONOTIRABLE SRI JUSTICE P'SAMKOSHY AND THE IIONOT]RABLE SRI JUSTICE NARSING RAO NANDIKONDA WRIT PE,TITIO N No.12963 0F 2025 ORDER' (per Hon'ble Sri Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda) HeardMr.ThanneruChaitanyaKumar,leamedcounselfor the petitioner, Ms. B'Sapna Reddy' leamed Junior Standing Counsel for the lncome Tax Department for respondent Nos'i and2andMr.B.Mukherjee,leamedcounselrepresenting the Union of India for respondent No'3' Perused the record'

2. This is a writ petition where the proceedings are either challenged to the notices which were issued under Section 148A andl48oftheIncomeTaxAct,lg6l(forshorl.theAct,)orthe assessment orders those have been passed under Section 147 of the Act which have been assailed'

3. This writ petition is being taken up today only on one of the grounds, that the notices issued under Section 148A of the Act and the subsequent initiation ofproceedings under Section 148 of the Act by thejprisdictional Assessing Officer, whereas in terms of the amendment that was brought to the Inpome Tax Act by way \ 1 {\ 2 of Finance Act, 2021 w.e.f., 01.04.2021 onwards, proceedings under Section 14gA of the Act as also under Sectron l4g of the Act ought to have also been issued and proceeded in a faceless manner 4' The contention of the petitioner is that the issue of proceedings being in violation of the Financ e Act, 2021i.e., the impugned notices under Section l4gA and Section l4g of the Act not being issued in a faceless manner, have already been dealt with and decided by this Court in the case of KANKANALA RAVINDRA REDDY vs. INCOME_TAX OFFICERT decided on 14.09.2023 whereby a batch of writ petitions were allowed and the proceedings initiated under Section 14gA as also under Section 148 of the Act were held to be bad with consequentia[ reliefs on the ground ofit being in violation ofthe provisions ofSection 151A of the Act read with Notification lgl2022 dated 29.03.2022. The said judgment passed by this court has also been subsequentry followed in a Iarge number of writ petitions which were allowed on similar terms. I '[(2023) 156 taxmann.com l7g (Telangana)] ,r' l J

5. Down the line, we find that the same issue has also been decided against the Revenue by various High Courts i'e'' by the Bombay High Court in the case of HEXAWARE TECHNOLOGIES LTD., vs' ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX & OTHERS2, Gauhati High Court in the case of RAM NARAYAN SAII vs' UNION OF INDIA3' Punjab and HaryanaHigh Court in the case of JATINDER SINGH BANGU vs. UNION OF INDIA4, and Telangana High Court in the case of SRI VENKATARAMANA REDDY PATLOOLA VS. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX5 where the issue was in respect of international taxation, Bombay High Courl in the case of ABTIIN ANILKUMAR SHAH VS. INCOME TAX OFFTCER' INTERNATIONAL TAXATION6 which is again on interaational taxation and central circle, High Court of Himachal Pradesh in the case of GOVTND SINGH vs' INCOME TAX OFFICERT' Gujarat High Court in the case of MANSUKHBHAI 'pozq 464ITR 430 (Bom) ' l(2024) 156 taxmann.com 478 (Gauhati)l " l(2024) 165 taxmann.com 115 (Punjab & Haryana)l ' 12024) 1 57 taxmann.com 41 1 (Telangana)l "[2024) 166 taxmann.com 679 (Bombay)] - 'iZOZq 165 taxmarur.com 113 (Himachal Pradesh)l \ 4 DAIryABHAI RADADIYA vs. INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD 3(3Xt8, Jharkand High Courr in the case of SHyAM SUNDAR SAW vs. UNION OF INDIAe, Rajasthan High Courl in the case of SIIARDA DEVI CHIIAJER vs. TNCOME TAX OFFICER & ANOTHER and batch of writ petitionsro which stood decided on 19.03.2024. Similar views have also been taken by the Division Bench of Calcutta High Court in the case of GIRDHAR GOPAL DALMIA vs. UNION OF INDIA & ORS (M.A.T 1690 of 2023), decided on25.09.2024.

6. Even though the same issue having been decided by a large number of High Courts, we are still confronted with large f,rling of identical matters on daily basis ranging between 5 to l0 writ petitions. That upon the instructions being sought from the Department, they have been taking a solitary ground that the decision of the Bombay High Court in the case of llexaware Technologies Ltd., (2 supra) as arso the one which has been decided by this Court in the case of Kanakala Ravindra Reddy 82024 SCC Online Guj 4012 '2025 SCC Online Jhar 287 12023 : RJ- JD :4984-DB l I o ) 5 (1 supra) has been subjected to challenge in a Special Leave Petition i.e., SLP No.3574 of 2024 before the Hon'ble Supreme Court and the Hon'ble Supreme Court is seized of the matter' In addition, there are about 1200 SLPs also hled arising out ofthe same issue being decided by various High Courts' To a query being put to the leamed counsel for the Revenue' 7 . they have categorically accepted the fact that there is no interim order granted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in any of these matters pending before it' Meanwhile' fresh writ petitions of identical nature are being piled up before this Bench on daily basis and the pendency is getting increased on matter which otherwise hasalreadybeendealtanddecidedbythisveryHighCourtitself.

8. On the one hand, even though the order of this Court that was passed as early as on 14'09'2023 and more 16 months have lapsed, till date, we do not find any remediai steps having been taken by the Income Tax Department to take appropriate steps to either hold back issuance ofnotice under Section 148A and under Section 148 of the Act by the jurisdictional Assessing Officer' rather the authorities concemed in the teeth of series of decisions 6 by all the major High Courts in India are continuously still initiating proceedings under Section 14gA of the Act and also initiating proceedings under Section 14g of the Act in contravention to the amendments brought into the Income Tax Act pursuant to the Finance Act,2020 as also the Finance Act202l. 9' upon a query being put as to why can,t this writ petition be disposed of in the teeth of the decision rendered b1, this Court in the case of Kanakala Ravindra Reddy (l supra), leamed Standing counsel for the Income Tax Department contends that those would unnecessadly burden the Income Tax Department where they would be required to flle equal number of SLps before the Hon'ble Supreme Court and it would be further burdening the exchequer of the Union of India. It was also the contention of the learned Standing counsel that no prejudice wourd be caused to the interest ofthe petitioners in case if this writ petition is kept pending till the finalization of the SLps pending before the Hon,ble Supreme Court and the fact that the petitioner is already enjoying the benefit of interim protection. Nonetheless, on the earlier query of this Court as to why the Income Tax Department have not come out with a mechanism to issue appropriate instructions or to take I 7 appropriate steps in ensuring that proceedings under Section 148A of the Act as also the assessment orders under Section 148 of the Act are kept in a hold in the light ofthe decisions dedcided by the various High Courts, it was submitted by the leamed Standing Counsel that the said steps can only be taken at the level of CBDT as any such steps would have to be taken Pan India and cannot be limited to any of these jurisdictional High Courts' l0.Asaresultofwhich,whatwearefacingissteepincreaseof litigation day in and day out even though various orders have been passed by this High Court allowing writ petitions on the very same issue. The Income 'l'ax authorities concerned are still even now in 2025 also initiating proceedings in contravention to the provisions ofSectionl5lAoftheActandasaresultbynow,morethan600 to 700 petitions have been already got piled up before this High Courtonanissuewhichotherwisestandssquarelycoveredbythe judgment of this Court in the case of Kanakala Ravindra Reddy (l supra). What is also surprising is the fact that though while allowing the writ petitions in the case of Kanakala Ravindrs Reddy (l supra), the Division Bench while reserving the right of the Revenue, has also protected the interest of the petitioners \ 8 ( 'i' insofar as the liberty which was granted to the Revenue for initiating fresh proceedings strictly in accordance with the amended provisions of the Act, as amended by the Financ e Act, 2020 and the Finance Act, 202r . The petitioner assessee wourd be entitled to challenge or raise the other legal objections if the Revenue initiates fresh proceedings. The Department has made no endeavour in availing the said liberty that was resered for the Revenue. On the contrary, they have been stiU sticking on to the stand, which this High Court as rvell as many other High Courts akeadyheld to be bad.

11. [t appears that because ofthe aforesaid liberty that this High Courl had granled permitting the Revenue for initiating fresh proceedings as a one_time measure in a faceless manner, the Income Tax Department wants to take advantage of the same by protracting these proceedings which would enable them to meet the limitation that would otherwise come in the way. Likewise, if the writ petition is kept pending for a considerable long period of time and finally at a rater stage if the Hon,bre Supreme court confirms the decision taken by this High Court as also by the other High Courts in which the SLps are still pending, the Income Tax t I ! t ! I I t 9 Departrnent would get the advantage of the liberty that is otherwise protected in favour of the Revenue for initiation of fresh proceedings from the disposal of these matters at a much later stage which would be advantageous and beneficial to the Revenue and would be equally disadvantageous and detrimental so far as interest of the assesses are concemed' As a consequence' the Income Tax Department gets an extended period of time for initiation of fresh proceedings.

12. The alarming trend of docket explosion in this Court' despite the clear precedent sel in Kanakala Ravindra Reddy (l supra), is a matter of grave concem. The Income Tax Department's persistent initiation of fresh proceedings, disregarding the established judicial pronouncements, has led to an unprecedented surge in litigation with over 600-700 petitions piling up on the same issue' This deliberate approach not only undermines the principle ofjudicial precedent but also strains the judicial resources unnecessarily' The Department's strategy of awaiting the Supreme Court's decision on pending SLPs while continuing to initiate fresh proceedings appears to be a calculated move to buy time and circumvent limitation periods, rather than adhering to the established legal \ 10 (.) posltion. Such conduct raises serious questions about the administrative efflrciency and the respect fbr judicial pronouncements, parlicularly when this Court has already provided a balanced approach by preserving both the Revenue,s rights and assesses tnterests

13. Another aspect which needs to be considered is that in fact it should have been realized by the Income Tax Department itself and should have found out via media in ensuring that proceedings under Sections l4g_A and l4g should not have been issued in a faceless manner, at least till the Hon,ble Supreme Courl decide the twelve hundred (1200) odd SLps which it is already seized ofor, at least the Income Tax Department shourd have found out some remedial steps to ensure that wherever the authorities intend to initiate proceedings under Sections l4g_A and 14g, other than in a faceless manner, the proceedings should have been deferred without precipitating the matter further intimating the assessee that they shall initiate appropriate proceedings only after the SLp,s are decided by the Hon,ble Supreme Court on the very same issue. This again, the Income Tax Department, has not been able to give a convincing reply, except for the fact that such a decision if at all : i I I 17 has to be taken, has to be taken for the whole of India' and which otherwise has to be by way of a policy decision and that too at the level of Central Board of Direct Taxes' Though the leamed Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department contended that the Delhi High Court dismissed a writ petition of similar nature' on theonehandwhentheHighCourtisstruggtingtoreduceits pendency, such notices which are under challenge in this writ petition are forcing the assessee to knock the doors of this High Court resulting in frling of hundreds of new writ petitions which in the long run not only affects the disposat of the writ petitions but also consumes substantial time of the Bench in hearing these matters again and again on daily basis' Admittedly' in spite of the matterbeforetheHon,bleSupremeCourthavingbeentakenon many occasions' the Hon'ble Supreme Court which is seized of the matter has been reluctant in granting any interim protection to the Income Tax Department' Yet' the authorities concerned at the State level are not ready to accept the verdict passed by a majority of High Courts of different States on the same issue; and to make things further worse, the Income Tax Department is showing audacity by issuing notices continuously under Sections 148-A and 72 148 through the jurisdictional Assessing Officer whereas it ought to have been only in the faceless manner.

14. In rhe case of BANK OF INDIA vs. ASSISTANT COMIIflSSIONER, INCOME TAXI r, on an issue whether it was justifiable on the part of the Income Tax Department in not following an order passed by the adjudicating authority only on the ground that the appeals are pending, the Division Bench of the High Court of Bornbay held at paragraph No.25 as under, viz., : "25 Mr' paridwara has righry drawn out attention to the decision of this Court in Commissioner of lncome Tax vs. Smt. Godavaridevi Sarafi2 as also the recent decision of the co_ ordinate Bench of this Court in Samp Furniture (p) Ltd. v. ITO13 of which one of us (Justice G.s, Kurkarni) was a member, wherein the court categoricafly observed that the Revenue having not "accepted', the judgment of the High Court would not mean that till the same is set aside in a manner known to law, it would loose its binding force. Referring to the decision of the Supreme Court in Union of lndia vs. Kamlakshi Finance Corporation Ltd.r4, the Court observed that the approach of the officials of Revenue of treating decisions being ,.not acceptable,, was criticized by the Supreme Court. ln such decision, following are the relevant observations made by the Supreme Court. ',) t!,T::r,r.1o .- | t9781 I I3 ITR 589 (Bombay) .ylrnan.com 422 (B ombay) | |)l!r01165 raxmann.com 581/300 Taxman 452 (Bombay) '' Ll992l taxmann.com t6155 ELT 433 (SC) t/-\. 13 '6. Sri Reddy is perhaps right in saying that the officers were not actuated by any mala fides in passing the impugned orders They perhaps genuinely felt that the claim of the assessee was not tenable and that, if it was accepted' the Revenue would suffer. But what Sri Reddy overlooks is that we are not concerned here with the correctness or otheMise of their conclusion or of any factual malafides but with the fact that the officers' in reaching in their conclusion, by-passed two appellate orders in regard to the same issue which were placed before them, one of the Collector (Appeals) and the other of the Tribunal. The High Court has' in our view' rightly criticized this conduct of the Assistant Collectors and the harassment to the assessee caused by the failure of these officers to give effect to the orders of authorities higher to them in the appellate hierarchy' lt cannot be too vehemently emphasized that it is of utmost importance that, in disposing of the quasijudicial issues before them' revenue officers are bound by the decisions of the appellate authorities' The order of the Appellte Collector is binding on the Assistant Collectors working within his iurisdiction and the order of the Tribunal is binding upon the Assistant Collectors and the Appellate Collectors who function under the iurisdiction of the Tribunal The principles of judicial discipline require that the orders of the higher appellate authorities should be followed unreservedly by the subordinate authorities' The mere fact that the order of the appellate authority is not "acceptable" to the department - in itself an obiectionable phrase - and is the subiect matter of an appeal can furnish no ground for not following it unless its operation has been suspended by a competent court lf this healthy 74 \) rule is not followed, the result will only be undue harassment to assesses and chaos in administration of tax laws. '1) We have deall with this aspect at some length, because it has been suggested by the Iearned Additional Solicitor General that the observations made by the High Court, have been harsh on the officers. lt is clear that the observations of the High Court, seemingly vehement, and apparen y unpalatable to the Revenue, are only intended to curb a tendency in revenue matters which, if allowed to become widespread, could result in considerable harassment to the assesses_public without any benefit to the Revenue. We would like to say that the department should take these observations in the proper spirit. The observations of the High Court should be kept in mind in future and the utmost regard should be paid by the adjudicating authorities and the appellate authorities to the requirements of judicial discipline and the need for giving effect to the orders of the higher appellate authorities which are binding on them." 15' what is worrying this Bench more is the fact that an endeavour is being made whole heartedly to ensure not to generate futher litigation on issues which have been laid to rest by a large number of High Courts all of whom have taken a consistent stand that the action of the Income Tax Department being violative of the 15 Finance Lct,2020 and Finance Act,202l' Now' in order t0 protect the interest of the Revenue as also that of the assessee' it would be trite at this juncture, if we dispose of the writ petition with an observation/direction that the disposal of the instant writ petition in terms of the judgment rendered by this High Court in the case of Kankanula Ruvindra Reddy (l supra) shall however be subject to the outcome of the SLPs which were hled by the Income Tax Department and which is pending consideration before the Hon'ble Supreme Coutl.

16. In the given facts and circumstances' this Bench is of the considered opinion that unless and until we do not timely dispose of matters which are squarely covered by the decision of this Court and which stands fortihed by the decisions of the various other High Courts on the very same issue' the pendency of this High Court would further be burdened which otherwise can be decided and disposed of as a covered matter' l7 . So far as the interest of the Revenue is concemed' we are of the considered opinion that the interest of the Revenue has already been considered and protected, as has been observed in paragraphs T5 36,37 and 38 ofthe order which, for ready reference, is reproduced hereunder:

36. For all the aforesaid reasons, the impugned notices issued and the proceedings drawn by the respondent_ Department is neither tenable, nor sustainable. The notices so issued and the procedure adopted being per se illegal, deserves to be and are accordingly set aside/quashed. As a consequence, all the impugned orders getting quashed, the consequential orders passed by the respondent-Department pursuant to the notices issued under Section 147 and 14g would also get quashed and it is ordered accordingty. The reason we are quashing the consequential order is on the principles that when the initiation of the proceedings itself was procedurally wrong, the subsequent orders also gets nullified automatically.

37. The preliminary objection raised by the petitioner is sustained and all these writ petitions stands allowed on this very jurisdictional issue. Since the impugned notices and orders are getting quashed on the pornt of jurisdiction, we are not inclined to proceed further and decide the other issues raised by the petitioner which stands reserved to be raised and contended in an appropriate proceedings.

38. Since the Hon,ble Supreme Court had, in the case of Ashish Agarwal, supra, as a one{ime measure exercising the powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of lndia, permitted the Revenue to proceed under the substituted provisions, and this Court allowing the petitions only on the procedural flaw, the right I ; i i I I I I ! i I i I I ,. t ! I I i I t I i I 1 { ( 17 conferred on the Revenue would remain reserved to proceed further if they so want from the stage of the order of the Supreme Court in the case of Ashish Agarwal, suPra.

18. We would only further like to make observations that since we are inclined to dispose of the instant writ peiition' conscious of the fact that the earlier order of this High Court in the case of Kanakalu Ravindra Reddy (l supra) is subjected to challenge before the Hon'ble Supreme Court in SLP No'3574 of 2024' prefered by the Income Tax Department' we make it clear that allowing of the instant writ petition is subject to outcome of the aforesaid SLP preferred by the Revenue against the decision of this High Court in the case of Kanakala Ravindra Reddy (l srrpra)' This, in other words, would mean that either of the parties' if they so want, may move an appropriate petition seeking revival of this writ petition in the light of the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the pending SLP on the very same issue'

19. Accordingly, the instant writ petition stands allowed in favouroftheassesseesofarastheissueofjurisdictionis concemed. As a consequence, the impugned notice under challenge under Sections 148-4 and 148 stands set aside/quashed' \ 18 The consequential orders, if any, also stand set asideiquashed in similar terms as have been passed by this High Court in the case of Ksnkanala Ravindra Reddy (r supra). There shall be no order as to costs Consequently, miscellaneous petitions pending, if any, shall stand closed. \ \ To, 2 4 E

6. 7 BSR GJ //TRUE COPYII ^"#;Ji^'-?'tt6,g.qdR (,{, SECTION OFFICER The Assessment Unit. Nal 3,:#3f#Sh$rgj:ffi iu,"jaT*.'_f ;3?:!i,!,,?"Tl,E:91;"'", ijr"l:fl r#,itr;":#l]I8il:81%:,,sjt%T,?t;{T3ii"';},n,,j[J The Secretary, Ministry of Finance North Block, New Delhi, Union of lndia-.110 One CC to SRt THANNERU CHAITANYA KUMAR Advocate IOPUCI One CC ro l\4s. B.SApNA REDDY, Jr. SC FOR lT [OPUC] 3P:,",:i:;,ElHil?mI".,.[,5:ru;i,::y:l-',3:l3l:3i"?.,[i*, Two CD Copies G HIGH COURT DATED:28 t04t2025 , ORDER WP.No.12963 of 2O2S ;'. ;- r. 0E SEPzffi ,'.1/ * a€sp.a (:' / -, ALLOWING THE WRIT PETITION, COSTS -WITHOUT g o{ o