Nitin Life Sciences Limited Vs PCIT & another (Himachal Pradesh High Court)
In the case of Nitin Life Sciences Limited vs. Principal Commissioner of Income Tax (PCIT) & Another, the Himachal Pradesh High Court addressed the issue of an unreasoned order and notice of reassessment issued by the tax authorities. The petitioner, Nitin Life Sciences Limited, challenged the order dated April 13, 2023, and the accompanying notice which concluded that an amount of ₹2,73,28,43,663 had escaped assessment for the Assessment Year 2019-2020. The notice required the petitioner to undergo assessment or reassessment of the stated income within 30 days of receiving the notice.
The petitioner submitted a copy of the notice served upon them (Annexure P-4) along with their response and supporting documents (Annexure P-5). Additionally, an extra reply dated April 3, 2023 (Annexure P-6), was also presented by the petitioner. The core grievance of the petitioner was that despite providing detailed responses and documents, which demonstrated that the income/transactions in question were already accounted for in their financial records, the tax authorities did not consider these materials. The supplementary reply was also reportedly ignored.
The respondents, representing the tax authorities, contended that the petitioner’s reply had been considered, as mentioned in the impugned order. They further claimed that the supplementary reply dated April 3, 2023, was not received by the concerned authority. However, upon examining the impugned order (Annexure P-7), it was evident that there was no reference to the specific replies and documents submitted by the petitioner. Furthermore, there was no consideration of the supplementary reply dated April 3, 2023.
