Reopening after 4 years with approval of DIT instead of JCIT is invalid

Yum! Restaurants Asia Pte. Ltd. Vs. Dy. DIT & Ors. (Delhi High Court) Where the original assessment is processed under section 143(1) of the Act, and the reopening is sought to be done after the expiry of four years from the end of the relevant assessment year, the mandatory requirement under section 151 (2) of the Act is that the approval for the reopening of the assessment should be by an officer of the rank of the Joint Commissioner (in this case, the Addl. DIT) and not other officer including a superior officer.  In view of the clear position in law, the Court has no hesitation in con...