Kuldip Singh, J. - (1.) The question in this appeal is whether the grant of a mining lease for a period of ten years by the assessee can give rise to a capital gain taxable under S. 45 of Income Tax Act, 1961.
(2.) The assessee, a body of individuals, purchased two pieces of land in the year 1966 measuring 14.55 acres at a price of Rs. 27,260/- By an instrument of lease-cum-licence dated 10th September, 1970 they granted a mining lease in favour of M/s. Sri Krishna Tiles and Potteries (Madras) Private Limited (hereinafter called the 'Company'), an allied concern of the assessee. The lease was for a period of 10 years and the lessee had to pay a premium or salami of Rs. 5 lakhs in addition to the payment of royalty of Rs. 12 per hundred cubic ft. of clay extracted subject to a minimum of Rs. 60,000/- per year.
(3.) The Income-tax Officer construed the lease- deed as transferring a lease-hold interest in the land in favour of the company and came to the conclusion that the transfer was assessable to capital gains tax. For the purpose of computing the extent of tax the Income-tax Officer assessed the market value of the entire land at Rs. 8 lakhs. Since the leasehold interest was transferred for a sum of Rs. 5 lakhs, he valued the lease-hold interest at 5/8th of the sale price of the entire land. On that basis the Income-tax Officer computed the cost of acquisition of the lease-hold interest at Rs. 17,040/-. being 5/8th of Rs. 27,260/-. Thereafter deducting Rs. 17,040/- from the sale consideration of Rs. 5 lakhs, he treated the sum of Rs. 4,82,960/- as long term capital gains.;