# M/s. Soorajmull Nagarmull v. OommiJsiontr of lncome·tax, Calcuttr Shch J

- **Citation:** [1962] Supp. 3 S.C.R. 306
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1962
- **Case number:** Civil Appeals Nos. 238 and 239 of 1961
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/m-s-soorajmull-nagarmull-v-oommijsiontr-of-lncome-tax-calcuttr-shch-j-2380
- **Pages:** 5

## Headnote

1962
Mr1. Htm Nalini
JiuJ.h
.
••
ilfrs. /solyru
Sorojba.shini Bo!t
1962
F1hru"1J 19.
306 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (I9e2) SUPP.
house simply because Mrs. Boso said in hnr appli·
cation for letters of administration that the house
belonged to Mrs. )fitter. It 11p1wars th:it after the
death of Mrs. '.\Jitter the thrt>e sisterR put forward
three separate wills each in her f:wour and there
was no question of one sister acting on Any representation made by another. 'Ve are therefore
Of Opinion that llO question of PS(Oppcl ariRf'8 in
this case.
The appeal therefore fails and is hereby dismissed: N(• order as to costs.
Appeal dismissed.
;\tfS. SOORAJ!lfULL NAGAR:'IIULL
"·
COM.\IISSIONER OF IXCO:llE-TAX, CALCUTTA
(And connected appeal)
(~. K. DAS, III. HIDAYATGLLAH and .J.C. SHAIJ, J.T.)
Income Tax-Order nf Tribu.nal--Application.s by a.<S<ssee
and Commi.,sioner of Income-tax to state a cn.se, diJJmissr.d byl
lliqh Court-Appeal to Supreme rourt ag1inst nr.kr ofTri.huna
-If maintainable-Indian /ncomr-ta.t Act, J.~22 (II of /.922)'
ss. 33(4), 66(2)-Cons!itution of India, Art. 130.
The Income-tax Appellate Tribunal pa.scd an order
•· 33(4) of the Indian Income-tax Act disposing of an appeal.
The asscssec as well as the Con1mis.,ioner of Incorne-tax,
Calcutta, applied to the High Court for orders requiring the
Tribunal to state a case under s. 66(2), wl1ich applications
were dismiss1:d by the 1-Iigh Court.
l'hc asscssce ancl the
Commissioner of Income-tax appealed to thr: Suprcu1c- Court
against the order of the Tribunal, ":ith speci::tl leave.
·rhc
main contention before the Supreme Go1:rt was that cvi:o:n
if
the appeal .agaiust the order of the Hi~h Court under s. 66(2)
fails on merits, the court has pO\VCr to consider the appeal
against the order of the Tribunal.
3 S.C.R.
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
307
Held, that when the aggrieved party approaches the
High Court under a taxing statue for an order calling for a
statement of the case and the High Court rejects the application, this Court in exercise of its powers under Art. 186 of
the Constitution of India will not in the absence of special or
exceptional circumstances allow the order of the High Court
to be by-passed by entertaining an appeal directly against the
order of the Tribunal under the taxing Act.
The Supreme
Court will take this view even if an appeal has been filed
aga>nst the order of the High Court as well.
Ohandi Prasad Ohhokhani v. State of Bihar, ( 1962)
2 S.C.R. 276, Dhakesv:ari OottonMills Ltd. v. Oommissioner of
Income·lax, West Bengal, [1955] I S.C.R. 941 and Sardar
Baldev Singh v. Oommissioner of Income-tax, Delhi and Ajmer,
[1961]1 S.C.R. 482, followed.

## Text

1962
Mr1. Htm Nalini
JiuJ.h
.
••
ilfrs. /solyru
Sorojba.shini Bo!t
1962
F1hru"1J 19.
306 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (I9e2) SUPP.
house simply because Mrs. Boso said in hnr appli·
cation for letters of administration that the house
belonged to Mrs. )fitter. It 11p1wars th:it after the
death of Mrs. '.\Jitter the thrt>e sisterR put forward
three separate wills each in her f:wour and there
was no question of one sister acting on Any representation made by another. 'Ve are therefore
Of Opinion that llO question of PS(Oppcl ariRf'8 in
this case.
The appeal therefore fails and is hereby dismissed: N(• order as to costs.
Appeal dismissed.
;\tfS. SOORAJ!lfULL NAGAR:'IIULL
"·
COM.\IISSIONER OF IXCO:llE-TAX, CALCUTTA
(And connected appeal)
(~. K. DAS, III. HIDAYATGLLAH and .J.C. SHAIJ, J.T.)
Income Tax-Order nf Tribu.nal--Application.s by a.<S<ssee
and Commi.,sioner of Income-tax to state a cn.se, diJJmissr.d byl
lliqh Court-Appeal to Supreme rourt ag1inst nr.kr ofTri.huna
-If maintainable-Indian /ncomr-ta.t Act, J.~22 (II of /.922)'
ss. 33(4), 66(2)-Cons!itution of India, Art. 130.
The Income-tax Appellate Tribunal pa.scd an order
•· 33(4) of the Indian Income-tax Act disposing of an appeal.
The asscssec as well as the Con1mis.,ioner of Incorne-tax,
Calcutta, applied to the High Court for orders requiring the
Tribunal to state a case under s. 66(2), wl1ich applications
were dismiss1:d by the 1-Iigh Court.
l'hc asscssce ancl the
Commissioner of Income-tax appealed to thr: Suprcu1c- Court
against the order of the Tribunal, ":ith speci::tl leave.
·rhc
main contention before the Supreme Go1:rt was that cvi:o:n
if
the appeal .agaiust the order of the Hi~h Court under s. 66(2)
fails on merits, the court has pO\VCr to consider the appeal
against the order of the Tribunal.
3 S.C.R.
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
307
Held, that when the aggrieved party approaches the
High Court under a taxing statue for an order calling for a
statement of the case and the High Court rejects the application, this Court in exercise of its powers under Art. 186 of
the Constitution of India will not in the absence of special or
exceptional circumstances allow the order of the High Court
to be by-passed by entertaining an appeal directly against the
order of the Tribunal under the taxing Act.
The Supreme
Court will take this view even if an appeal has been filed
aga>nst the order of the High Court as well.
Ohandi Prasad Ohhokhani v. State of Bihar, ( 1962)
2 S.C.R. 276, Dhakesv:ari OottonMills Ltd. v. Oommissioner of
Income·lax, West Bengal, [1955] I S.C.R. 941 and Sardar
Baldev Singh v. Oommissioner of Income-tax, Delhi and Ajmer,
[1961]1 S.C.R. 482, followed.
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeals
Nos. 238 and 239 of 1961.
Appeals by special leave from the judgment
and order dated March 28, 1957, of the Income-tar
Appellate Tribunal (Calcutta Bench) in I.T.A. Nos.
722 and 7341 of 1954-55.
R. J. Kol,ah, D. H. Dwarkadas and B.P. Mahe,shwari, for the appellant in C.A. No. 238 of 1961 and
the respondent in C.A. No. 239 of 1961.
K. N. Rajagopala Sastri and D. Gupta, for the
respondent in C.A. No. 238 of 1961 and respondent
in C.A. No. 239 of 1961.
1962. February 19. The Judgment of the
Court was delivered by
SHAH, J.-The assessees and the Commissioner have preferred appeals against the order of
the Tribunal passed under s. 33( 4) of the Indian Income-tax Act, after their applications of the High
Court of Calcutta for orders requiring the Tribunal to state a case under s. 66(2) Wtlre dismissed.
Counsel for the :1Ssessees contends that everi
if his appeal against the order of tbe High Court
under s. 66(2) fails on the merits, this Court has
1962
M/s. Soorajmull
Nagarmull
v.
OommiJsiontr of
lncome·tax, Calcuttr
Shch J,
1962
/&Ifs. Sootajrn-l!i
Nag«rmull
••
Com'ninion~r rJ
Jncom~tat, Ca/c 1t'
Sh2h J,
308 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [l!l62] SUPJ'.
power to consider their appeal against the order of
the Tribunal. This Court in Chandi Prawd Chhokhani v. The State of Bihm·,(') in dealing with cirnes
where against the order passed by a Tax Tribunal,
without appealing against the order of the High
Court refusing tr, call for the statement of the case
set out the practice as follows:
(a) When• the aggrieved party approaches
the High Court under a taxing Stntute
for an order cnlling for a statement of
the caso and the High Court r<·jects the
appiication, this Court in exercise of itll
powers under Art. 136 will not ordinarily
allow the order of tho High Court to be
by-passed by entertaining an appeal directly against the order of the Tribunal.
Such exercise of power wou Id be particularly inadvisable where the result may
be conflict of decisions of two Courtil of
competent jurisdiction. The schemo of
tho taxing statutes is to avoid such a conflict by making the derision of the taxing
authorities on questions of fact final subject to appeal, revision or review 118 provided by the statutes and the decision of
tho High Court subject to appeal lo this
Court final on questions of law.
(b) This rule does not Lar the Court from
granting special leave where circumstances are exceptional, such as, in Dlwkeswari Cotton Mills Dd. v. Commissioner of
Income 'Ia;r,, IV e.st Bengal, (') ll'herc the
Tribunal had violated fundame11tal rul<'s
of justice or as in Srudnr Ba/Jiev Singh v ..
Commissioner of
hmmze·tax, Delhi &
Ajmer ('), where on uccount of special
circumstances over which the aggrieved
party has no control the High Court was
(I) [1962] 2 S.C.R. 2;6.
(2:
[19551 I. S.C.R. 94:.
(:J) [1%1) I SC.R.48!.
3 S.C.R.
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
309
unable to consider the application for
196S
calling for a statement of the case on the
.M /s. &moJmu/l
merits, and the right of the party to
N,garmutl
approach the High Court was thereby
Cammi~;-, • ., of
lost.
_Income-tax, Calcuua
Counsel for the assesses contended that in
Ghhokha.ni's case(') no appeal at all was filed by the
assessees against the order of the High Court and
the principle of that case is inapplicable in a case
where the aggrieved party has appealed against
the order of the High Court as well as against the
order of the Tribunal. It is true that in the case
before us appeals have been filed against the order
of the Tribunal deciding the appeal under s. 33(4) of
the Indian Income-tax Act as well as the order of
the High Court under s. 66(2) refusing to require the
Tribunal to state a case: but we fail to see any
distinction in principle between a case in which in
appealing against the order of the Tribunal no
appeal is filed against the order of the High Court
and a case in which an appeal is filed against the
order of the Tribunal as well as against the order of
the High Court and the latter appeal is dismissed
because it has no merit.
Counsel has not invited our attention to any
special or exceptional circumstances in this case.
We have heard elaborate arguments on behalf of the
assessees and the Commissioner on their respective
contentions and for reasons already set out are of
opinion that no case is made out for calling for a
statement of the case from the Tribunal. If we
proceed to hear the appeal against the order of the
Tribunal after upholding the order of the High
Court that no question of law arose out of the order
of the Tribuna I, it would be a departure from the
well-settled rule that ordinarily we do not exercise
of our jurisdiction under Art. 136, enter upon a
reappraisal of the evidence·on which the order of
(l) [!961] 2. S.C.R. 276.
JY62.
M /s~ SooraJmull
.Nagai mull
v.
. Commi.s.fiontr pf
lncome-ta.t, Calcutt..i
Shah J.
1962
FebruaT)' 191 '
'
SlO SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1962] SUPP.
,,
.
the Oovrt or Tribunal is founded.
The Legi.slature
has expressly entrusted th~ powei:- of appraisal of
f!Vidence to the T.axing authorities, and the decision
of those authorities would orqinarily be regarded
as final.
This is not to say that in a proper case
this Court m;i.y not, in the interest of justice. when
occasion demands it, review the evidence. "Tli:e"
power of this Court unde~ Art. 136 is not restricted;
but it is only in very exceptional cases that this
Court enters upon appraisal of evidence in appeals
filed with special leave and this case does not disclose any such exceptional circumstances.
'
On this ground the appeals Nos. 238 and 239
of 1961 filed by the assessees and the Commissioner
against the order of the Tribunal must fail and are
dismissed with costs. One hearing fee.
Appeals dismissed.
INDORE MALWA UNITED MILLS LTD.
v.
THE COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX
(CEN'J."'RAL) BOMBAY
,
...
(S. K. DAS, M. HIDAYATULLAH and J.C. SHAH, JJ.)
1
Income Tax-Propeedings under s. 24 of the Indian
Income-ta:& Act,-Scope and effect of section and its provisoSet-off of loss-Indian Income-ta:& Act, 1922 (11 of 1922). as
24(1), (2), 14(2) (c), 4(1) (a); (c)l . '
The assessce company carried on a business of manufacture and sale of textile goods. The manufacture was·111ade ac
its mills in Indore which was an Indian State before integra•
tion and had its own law as to income-tax known as the Indore
Industrial 'rax R,;les, 1927.
The sales of textile goods so
manufacttlred wer~ made 'at various places, some inside and
some outside the taxable territories of the then British India.
For and tipfo assessment' year 1949-50 the assessee company
was treated as a pon-resident.
Indore became a part of
the taxable territories within the meaning of the Indian