Gupta, J. - (1.) The respondent a limited company, acts as selling agent of various companies and also carries on business in shares, jute and speculation. During the previous year ending on August 31,1951relevant to the assessment year 1952-53 the respondent had transactions in jute which resulted in a profit of Rs. 59,91,721/-. The respondent claimed that this sum comprised of Rs. 40,05,825/- which was the profit earned by and paid to M/s. Dalmia Jain and Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as D. J. C. for the sake of brevity) and Rs. 14,30,561/1 paid to M/s. Dalmia Cement and Paper Marketing Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as D. C. P. M.) being the profit earned by them. The Income-tax Officer rejected the respondent's claim holding that these two sums were really profit that accrued to the respondent. On appeal before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner the respondent did not press its claim in respect of Rs. 40,05,825/- and confined its objection to the inclusion of Rs. 14,30,561/- in its total income. The Appellate AssistantCommissioner having overruled this objection the respondent preferred an appeal to the Tribunal which also was dismissed. The respondent then sought a reference under Section 66 (1) of the Income Tax Act, 1922 of the question "whether in the facts and circumstances of the case the Tribunal was right in holding that the profit of Rs. 14,30,561/- on jute transactions were the profits of the assessee company liable to be included in its total income." The Patna High Court by its judgment and order D/- 27-1-1966 answered the question in the negative in favour of the respondent and against the department, on the view that the material on record did not justifythe rejection of the respondent's claim that the sum of Rs. 14,305,61/- was not its income but that of D. C. P. M.
(2.) In the meantime, the Income-tax Officerhad by his order dated March 29, 1964 levied a penalty of Rs. 20 lakhs under S. 29 (1) (c) of the Act for concealment of income to the extent of Rupees 54,36,386/- composed of the two sums mentioned above. On appeal by the respondent against the order imposing penalty, the Appellate AssistantCommissioner, Calcutta, took note of the decision of the Patne High Court excluding Rs. 14,30,561/- from the respondent's totalincome and reduced the penalty to Rs. 15 lakhs which, it was found, was attributable to the sum of Rs. 40,05,825/-. Before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner it was contended on behalf of the respondent that both the aforesaidamounts were added to the respondent's total income under similar circumstances, and as the Patna High Court had excluded Rs. 14,30,561/- as being the income of D. C. P. M.,the sum of Rupees 40,05,825/- should also be held as the income of D. J. C. and not respondent's. It was further argued that the respondent did not challenge the inclusion of Rs. 40,05,825/- before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner in the assessment proceeding as the respondent had the proportionate tax on this amount reimbursed from D. J. C. which was an allied concern. The Appellate Assistant Commissioner was of opinion that any internal arrangement between the respondent and its allied concern was not relevant for deciding whether the sum was the respondent's income and that, as the respondent had not questioned the inclusion of this amount in its total income, the matter had become final and the respondent was not entitled at this stage to reopen the question. The Appellate Assistant Commissioner also mentioned several circumstances why the amount in question should be considered as the respondent's income.
(3.) On appeal by the respondent the Appellate Tribunal. 'B' Bench, Calcutta, came to a different conclusion proceeding on the following steps of reasoning. Penalty proceeding being separate and distinct from the assessment proceeding the respondent was entitled to lead additional evidence to show that the sum of Rs. 40,05,825/- assessed as its income was really not so. The assessability of Rs. 40,05,825/- depended on the sufficiency of material justifying the assessment. The nature and procedure in regard to the transactions with D. J. C. and D. C. P. M. were identical, and as the Patna High Court had held that the material relied on for the assessment of Rs. 14,30,561/- was not sufficient, it must also be held that there was no material to justify the conclusion that Rs. 40,05,825/- was the respondent's income. The respondent accepted the assessment of the said sum in its hands because D. J. C. agreed to re-imburse the respondent for the tax paid on its behalf and there was no valid reason for holding that this amount was the concealed income of the respondent. the department had not brought on record any material to show that the case involving Rupees 40,05,825/- stood on a different footing from the other case where the material was considered inadequate to support the assessment of the sum in the respondent's hands. Accordingly the Tribunal set aside the penalty of Rs. 15 lakhs. The Commissioner of Income-tax (General), Calcutta, thereupon applied under Section 66 (1) of the Act for reference of the following three questions to the High Court. "1. Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the Tribunal was right in placing upon the Department the onus to prove by positive evidence that the sum of Rs. 40,05,825/- represented concealed income of the assessee when the assessee itself had conceded that the said sum was its income 2. Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the Tribunal was right in treating the sum of Rs. 40,05,825/- on the same footing as the sum of Rs. 14,30,561/- and in setting aside, on that view, the penalty order passed in this case 3. Whether, in any event, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal was right in setting aside the said order of penalty - The Tribunal rejected the application on the view that no question of law arose from the order of the Tribunal. The Commissioner thereafter applied under Section 66 (2) to the High Court for an order requiring the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal to draw up a statement of the case and to refer the aforesaid questions of law to the High Court for determination. On this application a rule nisi was issued on 28-4-1969. On September 16, 1969 the High Court discharged the rule an dismissed the application without however giving any reasons. The present appeal by special leave is directed against this order of the High Court.;