Supreme Court
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Powers of Arrest under GST: Unravelling the Phrase ‘Committed an Offence’
CGST Act, 2017 provides the Commissioner power to arrest under specific circumstances. Section 69, CGST Act, 2017 states that: Where the Commissioner has reasons to believe that a person committed any offence specified in clause (a) or clause…
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Taxation of Perquisites: SC Rules on Constitutionality
Challenge In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court ruled on constitutionality of Section 17(2)(viii), IT Act, 1961 and Rule 3(7)(i), IT Rules, 1962 which include concession loans under perquisites and provided for their valuation respectively. Section 17(2)…
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Tax Exemption v/s Tax Exemption for ‘Beneficial Purpose’: Interpretive Dilemmas
The thumb rule in interpreting a tax statute is that it must be strictly construed and any ambiguities in statutory provisions are resolved in favor of the taxpayer. However, the rule relating to interpretation of ambiguities…
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Rainbow Papers Case and the Art of Misinterpretation
On September 6, 2022, the Supreme Court pronounced its judgment in Rainbow Papers case that unsettled prevailing understanding of the waterfall mechanism under Section 53, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (‘IBC’). And equally unconvincingly defended the merits of…
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Kerala versus Union: Dispute Lingers
The dispute between the State of Kerala and Union of India involving disagreement on the latter’s scope of power to restrict debt levels of the former, was referred to a Constitution Bench by the Supreme Court.…
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‘Simple and Non-Controversial’: Section 13A, IT Act, 1961
Section 13A was introduced in the IT Act, 1961 via the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1978 (‘1978 Act’) to grant income tax exemption to political parties. The then Minister of Finance, Shri H.M. Patel, introduced Taxation…
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Including Capital Gains within Scope of Income: A Short Note from Tax History
Provisions to tax capital gains in India’s income tax law were first included in 1947. The Act XII(22) of 1947, amended Income Tax Act, 1922 (‘IT Act, 1922’) – predecessor to India’s current income tax statute,…
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State’s Powers to Secure Loans: Kerala-Union Tussle
The State of Kerala (‘Kerala’) recently filed an original suit against the Union of India (‘Union’) alleging that the latter has interfered with its fiscal autonomy by imposing a ceiling limit on its borrowing powers. The issue has…
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Leg History of Sec 90(4) & 90(5), IT Act, 1961
The infographic below is a snapshot of the legislative history of Section 90(4) and 90(5) of IT Act, 1961. It provides a summary view of the Income Tax Department's attempt to include a stringent condition for…
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The Din Surrounding ‘DIN’
The Supreme Court recently granted an interim stay on the Delhi High Court’s judgment wherein it was held that a communication issued by an income tax authority without citing the computer-generated Document Identification Number (‘DIN’) does not have…
