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1990 DIGILAW 188 (BOM)

I. CHATTERJI v. COMMISSIONER OF GIFT TAX.

1990-06-04

SUJATA V.MANOHAR, T.D.SUGLA

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JUDGMENT (Per Smt. Sujata Manohar, J.) This is a reference under section 26(1) of the Gift tax Act, 1958. The assessee was a divorcee. He was divorced from his wife, Ritha Devi, under a decree of divorce passed in January, 1969, after a marriage lasting around 19 years. After the divorce, the assessee made a proposal of marriage to one Miss Shanta Sujan. The lady was 25 years younger than the assessee. The assessee had a grown up son by his first marriage. Miss Shanta Sujan, at this time, was about 25 years of age and she was employed as a company secretary earning a monthly salary of Rs. 1,300. In these circumstances, by an indenture dated December 5, 1969, the parties agreed in writing as follows : (1) Shanta Sujan agrees to marry Indra Chatterji within three months. (2) In consideration of her having so agreed, Indra Chatterji undertakes to make over to Shanta Sujan, before the marriage, 20,000 shares of Dr. Beck & Co. (India) Ltd., of the face value of Rs. 10 each, and to have such shares registered and transferred in the books of the company. These shares, thereafter, will belong to her and constitute her exclusive property and Indra Chatterji shall have no right or claim to them of any kind. (3) The marriage shall be solemnised and performed according to Hindu rites. (4) The parties agree that, immediately after the marriage, they will present an application under section 15 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, and have the marriage registered under the Act so that the provisions thereof applied to it. (5) All gifts, whether in cash or in kind, received on the occasion of the marriage shall be the exclusive property of Shanta. As per this agreement, the assessee transferred to Miss Shanta Sujan 20,000 shares of Dr. Beck & Co. (India) Ltd. The marriage was solemnised in January, 1970. In the assessment year 1970-71, for which the accounting period was the period ending on March 31, 1970, the Gift-tax Officer held the transfer of these shares by the assessee to Miss Shanta Sujan to be a gift within the meaning of section 2(xii) of the Gift-tax Act, 1958. The assessee appealed against the assessment before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner. In the assessment year 1970-71, for which the accounting period was the period ending on March 31, 1970, the Gift-tax Officer held the transfer of these shares by the assessee to Miss Shanta Sujan to be a gift within the meaning of section 2(xii) of the Gift-tax Act, 1958. The assessee appealed against the assessment before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner. The Appellate Assistant Commissioner also found that the transfer of these shares to Miss Shanta Sujan, as clearly borne out by the agreement, was in consideration of her promise to marry the assessee. He agreed with the Gift-tax Officer that a promise of marriage cannot constitute consideration in money or money's worth and, therefore, the transfer would amount to a gift within the meaning of that term under the Gift-tax Act of 1958. Before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner, a further case was set up by the assessee to the effect that the transfer of shares was not merely in consideration of Miss Shanta Sujan's promise to marry the assessee but also in consideration of her giving up her career in order to provide consortium to the assessee and to enable her to fulfil her legal obligation to maintain her dependent parents. The Appellate Assistant Commissioner allowed the assessee to raise these new grounds but did not permit the assessee to produce in evidence an affidavit to the above effect which was sworn by Miss Shanta Sujan. From the decision of the Appellate Assistant Commissioner, the assessee came in appeal before the Tribunal. The Tribunal, upheld the finding of the Appellate Assistant Commissioner. From the decision of the Tribunal the following question has been referred to us for determination : "Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the transfer of 20,000 shares of Dr. Beck & Co. (India) Ltd. made by the assessee in favour of Miss Shanta Sujan as per the agreement dated December 5, 1969, constituted a 'gift' within the meaning of that term under the Gift-tax Act, and chargeable as such ?" Under section 2, sub-clause (xii) of the Gift-tax Act, 1958, "Gift" means "the transfer by one person to another of any existing movable or immovable property made voluntarily and without consideration in money or money's worth. ..." We, therefore, have to decide whether, in the present case, the transfer of the shares in question is without consideration in money or money's worth. ..." We, therefore, have to decide whether, in the present case, the transfer of the shares in question is without consideration in money or money's worth. It was submitted by Mr. Mistry, learned counsel for the assessee, that in the present case the consideration was not only the promise of marriage. There was a further consideration in the form of Miss Shanta Sujan giving up her job and career. He also submitted that providing maintenance to the parents of Miss Shanta Sujan was also a consideration for the transfer of these shares. These can be looked upon as consideration in money's worth because these can be evaluated in terms of money. He relied upon a decision in the case Keshub Mahindra v. CGT, [1968] 70 ITR 1 (Bom) in support of his submission that "consideration" must be widely construed to include not merely a benefit passing from the promisee to the promisor, but also the promisee acting or refraining from acting in a certain way. Hence, giving up of a career can amount to consideration for transfer of shares. It was not necessary to establish that the assessee had received any benefit by way of consideration. Before we consider these submissions, we must first examine the findings of fact as stated by the Tribunal, because we cannot reopen findings of fact. In the present case, the Tribunal, after having considered all the material before it, has come to a finding that the consideration for the transfer of shares by the assessee to Miss Shanta Sujan was not any agreement by Shanta Sujan to give up her job or career nor was there any material to establish that the shares were transferred to enable her to maintain her dependent parents. The Tribunal has come to a finding that, in view of clause 2 of the agreement of December 5, 1969, it was clear that the transfer of shares was only in consideration of Shanta Sujan's agreeing to marry the assessee. It was held that the submission that there were other considerations is an after thought. The Tribunal has come to a finding that, in view of clause 2 of the agreement of December 5, 1969, it was clear that the transfer of shares was only in consideration of Shanta Sujan's agreeing to marry the assessee. It was held that the submission that there were other considerations is an after thought. The Tribunal emphatically stated that when the parties had thought it fit to reduce to writing the terms agreed upon between them, it is not conceivable that the important terms of the agreement like the promisee giving up her career, etc., for which the transfer of shares was said to have been effected, would have been omitted to be mentioned. These findings of fact are binding on us. In fact, the Tribunal has declined to frame questions No. 2 to 4 as proposed by the assessee at all. It has only referred to us the question of law whether the transfer of these shares as per the agreement of December 5, 1969, constitutes a gift. The agreement of December 5, 1969, makes no reference to all these other considerations apart from marriage. We are, therefore, only required to consider whether transfer of these shares in consideration of marriage can be considered as a gift within the meaning of section 2(xii) of the Gift-tax Act. We are not required to look into the other so-called considerations. A promise of marriage, although it may be a valid consideration in law under the Contract Act, cannot, in our view, be considered as consideration in money or money's worth. Various considerations may go into a promise of marriage such as natural love and affection of the parties for each other. These are not capable of being evaluated in money or money's worth. In fact, it is not seriously contended by the learned advocate for the assessee that consideration of marriage can be considered as consideration in money or money's worth. Mr. Mistry relied upon the decisions in CGT v. J. N. Marshall [1979] 120 ITR 613 (Bom) as also CGT v. Rm. S. Ramanathan Chettiar, [1969] 74 ITR 758 (Mad). These cases, in our view, are not relevant to the facts of the present case. Mr. Mistry relied upon the decisions in CGT v. J. N. Marshall [1979] 120 ITR 613 (Bom) as also CGT v. Rm. S. Ramanathan Chettiar, [1969] 74 ITR 758 (Mad). These cases, in our view, are not relevant to the facts of the present case. We, therefore, agree with the reasoning of the Tribunal that the transfer of these shares is covered by the definition of "gift" within the meaning of section 2(xii) of the Gift-tax Act, 1958, Accordingly, we answer the question referred to us in the affirmative and in favour of the Revenue. There will be no order as to costs in the circumstance of the case.