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1998 DIGILAW 656 (MAD)

Commissioner of Income Tax v. D. Gannon Dunkerley and Company Private Limited

1998-04-23

A.SUBBULAKSHMY, JANARTHANAM

body1998
Judgment :- Janarthanam, J. The assessee-Gannon Dunkerley & Co. (P.) Ltd., Madras, went into liquidation on 14-3-1969. The official liquidator disposed of the assets of the company in the process of liquidation. 2(a) The company filed 'nil' return for the assessment year 1974-75, return of loss of Rs. 1, 09, 110 for the assessment year 1975-76 and return of loss of Rs. 67, 468 for the assessment year 1981-82. (b) The ITO, however, determined the total income at Rs. 2, 37, 845, Rs. 62, 779 and Rs. 1, 33, 663, respectively, for those years. (c) In determining the total income, the ITO completely ignored the expenditure claimed by the assessee for these three years under various heads, such as establishment postage, printing, travelling, legal charges, etc. (d) According to the assessee, the official liquidator incurred the expenditure in the course of administration and realisation of the assets of the company and, therefore, this expenditure was incurred for the safe preservation and maintenance of the assets of the company. (e) According to the ITO, there is no business carried on by the assessee and, therefore, the expenses could not be treated as business expenses. Hence, he rejected the claim of expenses by the assessee. (f) On appeal, the Commissioner (Appeals) following an earlier order of the Tribunal dated 26-11-1983 in, IT Appeal No. 1132 (Mad.) of 1983 relating to the assessment year 1978-79, wherein the expenditure claimed by the assessee was allowed under section 57(iii) of the Income-tax Act, directed the ITO to allow the entire claim of expenditure under the heads 'Business' and 'Other sources' as the case may be by allocating the expenditure under the heads 'Business' and 'Other sources' in proportion to the gross income derived by the assessee under these heads(g) On appeal by the revenue, the Tribunal upheld the order of the Commissioner (Appeals) as it was based on an earlier order of the Tribunal in the assessee's own case for the assessment year 1978-79 on the same issue. (h) It is on these facts the Tribunal under section 256(1) referred the common question of law as below for the opinion of this Court. (h) It is on these facts the Tribunal under section 256(1) referred the common question of law as below for the opinion of this Court. "Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal was correct in law in holding that the entire expenditure incurred by the official liquidator in the course of liquidation proceedings should be allowed as deduction in computing the total income of the company. 3. Arguments of Mr. R. Sivaraman, the learned counsel representing Mr. C. V. Rajan, the learned junior standing counsel representing the applicant and of Mr. P. P. S. Janarthana Raja, the learned counsel representing M/s. Subbaraya Aiyar, the learned counsel appearing for the respondent were heard. 4. Our attention had been drawn to an unreported decision of a Division Bench of this Court in T.C. Nos. 1263 of 1985, 766 and 1016 of 1986, concerning the assessees own case, respectively, relatable to the assessment years 1978-79, 1979-80 and 1980-81. The common question raised in the abovesaid T.C. Numbers was identical to the common question as now raised in the instant cases, which is relatable to the assessee's own case, as earlier stated for the assessment years 1974-75, 1975-76 and 1981-82. 5. The learned Judges of Division Bench of this Court in the unreported decision, referred to above, answered the common question in the affirmative and against the revenue. The reasonings or rationale as adopted by the said learned Judges of the Division Bench in the unreported T.C. Numbers as stated above, will also hold good and there is no need at all for us to reproduce such rationale or reasonings here. 6. Following the decision of a Division Bench of this Court in the unreported decision, as stated above, we also answer the common question in the instant cases in the affirmative and against the revenue. 7. These tax cases are, thus, disposed of. There shall, however, be no order as to costs, on the facts and in the circumstances of the cases.