Section 54F Exemption on residential house acquired abroad

Provision in section 54F comes w.e.f. 01.04.2015 according to which it was clarified that the residential house is to be acquired only in India meaning thereby before this amendment it was not clear as to whether the benefit of section 54F can be given to residential house acquired in India or abroad. This issue was examined by the Tribunal in the case of ACIT Vs. Iqbal Jafar (supra) which was authored by one of the members of this Bench and it was held by the Tribunal that before the amendments, the benefit can also be given to the residential house acquired in abroad.

There is no scope for importing into the statute words which are not there. Such importation would be, not to construe, but to amend the statute. Even if there be a casus omissus, the defect can be remedied only by Legislation and not by judicial interpretation.

Unless there is an ambiguity, it would not be open to the Court to depart from the normal rule of construction which is that the intention of the legislature should be primarily to gather from the words which are used. It is only when the words used are ambiguous that they would stand to be examined and considered on surrounding circumstances and constitutionally proposed practices.

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