s. 54 – Depositing of unutilised portion of capital gain in notified scheme up to expiry of time-limit for filing return U/s. 139(4)

From a plain reading of Sub-section (2) of Section 54 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, it is clear that only Section 139 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, is mentioned in Section 54(2) in the context that the unutilised portion of the capital gain on the sale of property used for residence should be deposited before the date of furnishing the return of the Income-tax under Section 139 of the Income-tax Act. Section 139 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, cannot be meant only Section 139(1) but it means all sub-sections of Section 139 of the Income-tax Act, 1961. Under Sub-section (4) of Section 139 of the Income-tax Act any person who has not furnished a return within the time allowed to him under Sub-section (1) of Section 142 may furnish the return for any previous year at any time before the expiry of one year from the end of the relevant assessment year or before the completion of the assessment year whichever is earlier. Such being the situation, it is the case of the respondent/assessee that the respondent/assessee could fulfill the requirement under Section 54 of the Income-tax Act for exemption of the capital gain from being charged to income-tax on the sale of property used for residence up to March 30, 1998, inasmuch as the return of income-tax for the assessment year 1997-98 could be furnished before the expiry of one year from the end of the relevant assessment year or before the completion of the assessment whichever is earlier under Sub-section (4) of Section 139 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.