The Applicant, an informer of the department, filed a RTI application seeking inspection & copies of all records available with the income tax department including assessment orders of Escorts Ltd, Dr. Naresh Trehan and connected parties. The application was rejected by the PIO on the ground that there was no overriding public interest in disclosing the information relating to third parties and the disclosure would lead to an invasion of privacy of the assessees. On appeal by the applicant, HELD allowing the appeal:
The Income-tax Department is required to give credit for TDS based on the annual information in NSDL site. The assessee can register his PAN and view the status of TDS, advance tax and self-assessment tax (annual tax statement AS 26). Credit for TDS is given to deductees based on the returns submitted by the deductor. In the event of the returns being rejected for mismatch of challans or non- quoting of PAN numbers of some of the deductees, assessees have no remedy to get credit for TDS in the absence of rectification of returns by the deductor.
The Supreme Court has said that an Assessee cannot claim deduction under section 80-HHC of the I-T Act for losses suffered on transactions. The apex court ruled that the meaning of profits under the provision of the Act would not include losses. Even if there are losses, they have to be ignored for the beneficiary purpose of such deduction, it added.
