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Addition cannot be justified solely relying upon the valuation report by the Departmental Valuation Officer, Assessment

DELHI HIGH COURT

 

ITA 340 of 2011

 

Commissioner of Income Tax .............................................................................Appellant.
V.
Lahsa Construction Pvt. Ltd. ..............................................................................Respondent

 

Sanjiv Khanna And Sanjeev Sachdeva,JJ.

 
Date :August 12, 2013
 
Appearances

N. P. Sahni with Mr. Ruchesh Sinha, Advocates. For the Appellant :
Piyush Kaushik, Advocate, for the respondent.


AssessmentAddition cannot be justified solely relying upon the valuation report by the Departmental Valuation Officer.

FACTS

On sale of property by assessee, A.O. made addition on basis of report of valuation officer. Assessee disclosed the sales consideration of Rs. 83,00,000 instead of Rs. 2,84,72,600 as opined by Departmental Valuation Officer. Tribunal held in favour of assessee. Being aggrieved, Revenue went on appeal before High Court.

HELD

That whether an addition can be made solely and on the basis of the report of the Departmental Valuation Officer, was no longer res integra. Addition cannot be justified solely relying upon the valuation report. No substantial question of law arises. In the result, appeal was answered in favour of assessee.


JUDGMENT


1. Revenue in this appeal under Section 260A of the Income Tax, 1961 (?Act? for short) impugns order dated 25.06.2010, passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in the case M/s. Lahsa Construction Pvt. Ltd. on the ground of perversity. The appeal pertains to the Assessment Year 1999-2000. (incorrectly mentioned in the impugned order as assessment year 2006-07).

2. Property in question bearing No.C-20, NDSE, South Ex., Part-II, New Delhi had two sellers. The respondent/assesse - Lahsa Construction Pvt. Ltd. had sold 50% share of the property in favour of Mrs. Madhu Arora, whereas the second group of owners consisting of four individuals had sold 50% of the property in favour of Mrs. Madhu Arora and her husband Mr. Om Prakash Arora.

3. It is stated by the counsel for the respondent that Revenue had accepted the order of the Tribunal in the case of said four individuals as addition was made solely on the report of the Departmental Valuation Officer. This statement is not controverted or accepted by the counsel for the Revenue as he has no information.

4. The Departmental Valuation Officer had opined that the value of the property at the time of purchase was Rs. 2,84,72,600/- and this became the basis of the addition made by the assessing officer. The respondent/assessee had disclosed sale consideration of as Rs. 39,00,000/- for sale of their 50% share, in the property to Mrs. Madhu Arora. Mrs. Madhu Arora and Mr. Om Prakash Arora paid an amount of Rs. 44,00,000/- to the four individual co-owners for purchase of the balance 50% share. Thus, in all they had shown sale consideration of Rs. 83,00,000/-, instead of Rs. 2,84,72,600/-, as opined by the Departmental Valuation Officer. This property was sold in the period relating to the Assessment Year 2004-05 for Rs. 1,00,00,000/-. No addition was made by the Assessing Officer on this sale consideration.

5. Whether an addition can be made solely and on the basis of the report of the Departmental Valuation Officer, is no longer res integra and is covered by the decisions of this Court in Commissioner of Income Tax vs. S.K. Construction Co.. (2008) 167 TAXMAN 171 (Del), Commissioner of Income Tax vs. Navin Gera (2010) 328 ITR 516 (Del), CIT vs. Suraj Devi (2010) 328 ITR 604 and Commissioner of Income Tax vs. Bajrang Lal Bansal (2011) 325 ITR 572 (Del). It has been repeatedly held that addition cannot be justified solely relying upon the valuation report. Decision of the Supreme Court in the case of K.P. Varghese vs. ITO 1981, 131 ITR 597 has been followed.

6. In view of the aforesaid position order of the Tribunal does not require interference. No substantial question of law arises. The appeal is accordingly dismissed.

 

[2013] 357 ITR 671 (DEL)

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