Income Tax Appeal once filed cannot be withdrawn

Appeal once filed cannot be withdrawn

The petitioner filed return of income in ITR­4 on 07.09.2009 declaring a total income of Rs. 81,000/­. His case was selected under scrutiny and thereafter assessment under Section 143(3) of Act, 1961 was made on a total incomeof Rs. 2,02,73,180/­ vide order dated 26.12.2011. The petitioner filed appeal under Section 246 of Act, 1961 before CIT (Appeals), on 10.01.2012 (sent through courier on 07.01.2012). On 24.02.2012 he sent an 

application

 by post seeking withdrawal of his appeal against assessment order dated 26. 12.2011. This application is said to have been received in the office of CIT (Appeals) on 27.02.20 12. Thereafter on 28.02.20 12 petitioner preferred revision under Section 264 of Act, 1961 stating that he has already waived his right of appeal and thus challenging assessment order dated 26.12.2011, in revision. In the memo of revision submitted by petitioner, he specifically said in para 4 that he filed appeal before CIT (Appeals) "which has been withdrawn". The Revisional Authority, i.e., CIT, Gorakhpur allowed revision partly vide order dated 26.03.20 12 by deleting addition of Rs. 2,01,71,883/­ made under Section 40A(3) of Act, 1961 but maintained rest of assessment order.

Petitioner's appeal, however, remain pending before CIT (Appeals). It appears that notice for hearing was issued thereon on 18.12.2012, fixing a date for hearing on which petitioner did not appear, but sought adjournment by a letter, sent by post. CIT (Appeals) declined to adjourn the matter and proceeded on appeal. He considered petitioner's withdrawal application and relying on Calcutta High Court's decision in Bhartia Steel & Engineering Co. (P) Ltd. Vs. Income­Tax Officer, 1974(97) ITR 154 (Cal.) and Apex Court's decisions in CIT Vs. Rai Bahadur Hardutroy Motilal Chamaria, 1967(66) ITR 443 (SC) and CIT Vs. B.N. Bhattachargee, 1979(1 18) ITR 461 (SC) wherein it is said that appeal once filed cannot be withdrawn, rejected withdrawal application. Then CIT (Appeals) proceeded on merits of appeal and negativing various grounds taken by appellants, dismissed the same and confirmed assessment order dated 26. 12.2011 passed by Income Tax Officer, Ward­1(1), Gorakhpur. Subsequent thereto, CIT, Gorakhpur also passed order dated 29.08.2013, impugned in this appeal, cancelling/revoking his own earlier revisional order dated 26.03.20 12.

Decision by High Court-

There is no provision in the Income Tax Act, 1961 which permits withdrawal of an appeal, once it is filed, and registered. In other words, once right of appeal is exhausted, by party concerned, and the appeal is filed before appropriate Appellate Authority, who after receiving same has registered it, I find no provision in the statute permitting withdrawal thereof. It is perhaps in this context of the matter that a three Judge Bench of Apex Court in CIT Vs. Rai Bahadur Hardutroy Motilal Chamaria (supra) said:

"It is also well established that an assessee having once filed an appeal cannot withdraw it. In other words, the assessee havingfiled an appeal and brought the machinery of the Act into working cannot prevent the Appellate Assistant Commissionerfrom ascertaining and settling the real sum tobe assessed, by intimation of his withdrawal of the appeal."

Source- Yogendra Prasad Santosh Kumar Vs. CIT (Allahabad High Court), Writ Tax No. 920  of 2013, Date of Order: 21.02.2014

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