P&H HC Quashes Section 148 Notice issued by AO – Only NFAC Has Authority

Santosh Mehta Vs ITO (Punjab and Haryana High court) Punjab & Haryana High Court, in Santosh Mehta vs. Income Tax Officer, Ward 2(3), Faridabad, ruled that a reassessment notice issued under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, by the jurisdictional Assessing Officer (AO) instead of the Faceless Assessing Officer (NFAC) was invalid. The petitioner challenged the notice dated 12.03.2024 for AY 2020-21 on the grounds that it was issued without jurisdiction, referring to the CBDT Circular dated 29.03.2022, which grants exclusive authority to NFAC for issuing such notices. The court relied...