# MESSRS. ASSOCIATED CLOTlllERS LID v. COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX, CALCUTTA

- **Citation:** [1967] 1 S.C.R. 512
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1966-09-23
- **Bench:** J. C. Shah, V. Ramaswami, V. Bhargava
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/messrs-associated-clotlllers-lid-v-commissioner-of-income-tax-calcutta-3871
- **Pages:** 8

## Headnote

B
Indian lncome·ta:c Act, 1922 (II of
1922), s. 10(2)(vii)-Sale o/
assets by one company to another--Circumstances in lvhich sale can b~
treated as "in substance to se/f'-App/icabi/ity o/ s.
10(2) (vii) to such
transaction.
The appellant a private limited company, was originally registered as
"Mis. Phelps & Company Ltd." but on March 21, 1952 .. by an order under
C
s. 11 ( 4) of the Indian Companies Act,
1913, its name was changed to
"Messrs Associated Clothiers Ltd."
On the same day a company styled
"Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd." was incorporated.
By a written agreement,
also of the same date, the appellant company agreed to transfer its assets
to Messrs Phelps & Co. Ltd. Consideration for the transfer consisted, apart
from cash, of allotment of certain shares of Messrs Phelps & Co. Ltd, to
the appellant and the taking over of the latter's liabilities by the former.
Among the assets transferred under the agreement was a building describD
ed in the second schedule to the ai:reement.
The original cost of this
building was Rs. 97,252/- and its wntten value was Rs. 57,0111-, but in
the balance sheet for the account year ending March 31. 1953 as well as
in the aforesaid
agreement
its value was shown as Rs. 2,24,573/-. In
Income-tax: proceedings relating to the account year 1952~53 the Income4
tax Officer brought to tax under s. 10(2)(vii) of the Indian Income-tu
Act, 1922, the difference between the original cost and the written down
value of the building on the date of
transfer.
Before the Income-tax
E
Appellate Tribunal it was contended by the appellant that the sale of the
assets of the appellant company was 'in substance to s~lr and therefore
s. 10(2) (vii) was in30pl1cable.
The Tribunal decided, in favour of the
company but the High Court held against it.
The
company thereupon
came 10 this Court in ;i:->'.)eal by certificate.
HELD : The sale '"a" hy one company to another, it was not a case in
which persons carrying on busincs-s had floated a private limited company
F
and had attempted to readjust their business positions. The sale was for a
stated consideration \\•hich had not been shown to be notional and since
the cons:dcration was in excess of the original cost of the
building the
difference bct\\'CCn the original cost and the written do\\'ll value was profit
within the meaning of s. 10(2)(vii) second proviso.
[517 0-H; 519 Fl
Sir Ho111i 1'.fehta's Executors' case, 28 I.T.R. 928 and Rogers & Co. v.
Commissioner of Income-tax, Bombay City II 34 l.T.R. 336, distingukhed.
G
Chittoor Motor Transport Co. (P) Ltd . . v. Income-tax Officer, Chittoor,
59 l.T.R. 238, relied on.
Bank of Chettinad Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax, Madras, 8
I.T.R. 522., Maharajadhiraj Sir Kamesliu·ar Singh
v.
Commissioner of
lncome-ta.r, Bihar and Orissa, 48 l.T.R. 483 and Doughty v. Conunissioner
of Ta:ccs, (1927] A.C. 327, referred to.
H
CIVIL APPELLATE Jl'RISDICTIOS : Civil Appeal No. 969 of
1965.
ASSOCIATED CLOTHIERS v. c.r.T. (Shah, J.)
513
A
Appeal from the judgment and order dated February 5
B
c
D
E
F
G
H
1963 of the Calcutta High Court in Income-tax Reference No. 3
of 1958.
·
S. S. Shukla, for the appellant.
S. T. Desai, A. N. Kripal and R. N. Sachthey, for the respondent.

## Text

MESSRS. ASSOCIATED CLOTlllERS LID.
v.
COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX, CALCUTTA
September 23, 1966
A
(J. C. SHAH, V. RAMASWAMI AND V. BHARGAVA, JJ.]
B
Indian lncome·ta:c Act, 1922 (II of
1922), s. 10(2)(vii)-Sale o/
assets by one company to another--Circumstances in lvhich sale can b~
treated as "in substance to se/f'-App/icabi/ity o/ s.
10(2) (vii) to such
transaction.
The appellant a private limited company, was originally registered as
"Mis. Phelps & Company Ltd." but on March 21, 1952 .. by an order under
C
s. 11 ( 4) of the Indian Companies Act,
1913, its name was changed to
"Messrs Associated Clothiers Ltd."
On the same day a company styled
"Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd." was incorporated.
By a written agreement,
also of the same date, the appellant company agreed to transfer its assets
to Messrs Phelps & Co. Ltd. Consideration for the transfer consisted, apart
from cash, of allotment of certain shares of Messrs Phelps & Co. Ltd, to
the appellant and the taking over of the latter's liabilities by the former.
Among the assets transferred under the agreement was a building describD
ed in the second schedule to the ai:reement.
The original cost of this
building was Rs. 97,252/- and its wntten value was Rs. 57,0111-, but in
the balance sheet for the account year ending March 31. 1953 as well as
in the aforesaid
agreement
its value was shown as Rs. 2,24,573/-. In
Income-tax: proceedings relating to the account year 1952~53 the Income4
tax Officer brought to tax under s. 10(2)(vii) of the Indian Income-tu
Act, 1922, the difference between the original cost and the written down
value of the building on the date of
transfer.
Before the Income-tax
E
Appellate Tribunal it was contended by the appellant that the sale of the
assets of the appellant company was 'in substance to s~lr and therefore
s. 10(2) (vii) was in30pl1cable.
The Tribunal decided, in favour of the
company but the High Court held against it.
The
company thereupon
came 10 this Court in ;i:->'.)eal by certificate.
HELD : The sale '"a" hy one company to another, it was not a case in
which persons carrying on busincs-s had floated a private limited company
F
and had attempted to readjust their business positions. The sale was for a
stated consideration \\•hich had not been shown to be notional and since
the cons:dcration was in excess of the original cost of the
building the
difference bct\\'CCn the original cost and the written do\\'ll value was profit
within the meaning of s. 10(2)(vii) second proviso.
[517 0-H; 519 Fl
Sir Ho111i 1'.fehta's Executors' case, 28 I.T.R. 928 and Rogers & Co. v.
Commissioner of Income-tax, Bombay City II 34 l.T.R. 336, distingukhed.
G
Chittoor Motor Transport Co. (P) Ltd . . v. Income-tax Officer, Chittoor,
59 l.T.R. 238, relied on.
Bank of Chettinad Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax, Madras, 8
I.T.R. 522., Maharajadhiraj Sir Kamesliu·ar Singh
v.
Commissioner of
lncome-ta.r, Bihar and Orissa, 48 l.T.R. 483 and Doughty v. Conunissioner
of Ta:ccs, (1927] A.C. 327, referred to.
H
CIVIL APPELLATE Jl'RISDICTIOS : Civil Appeal No. 969 of
1965.
ASSOCIATED CLOTHIERS v. c.r.T. (Shah, J.)
513
A
Appeal from the judgment and order dated February 5
B
c
D
E
F
G
H
1963 of the Calcutta High Court in Income-tax Reference No. 3
of 1958.
·
S. S. Shukla, for the appellant.
S. T. Desai, A. N. Kripal and R. N. Sachthey, for the respondent.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Shah, J. M/s. Phelps & Company Ltd. was registered as a
private limited company on September 30, 1939 to carry on the
business of "Clothiers and Tailors". On March 21, 1952 under
an order made under s. 11(4) of the Irn:lian Companies Act, 1913,
the name of the Company was altered to Messrs
Associated
Clothiers Ltd. On the sa,me day a company styled "Messrs.
Phelps & Co. Ltd." was incorporated. By a written agreement
.also of the same date the appellant Company agreed to transfer
its assets and liabilities to Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd. in consideration of allotment of shares of the value of Rs. 12,30,000/-
of Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd. and Rs. 23,291/10/5 payable in cash,
and Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd. taking over liabilities of the appellant Company of tii,r aggregate amount of Rs. 6,05,601/-/6.
Under the terms of the
agreement the appellant Company purported to transfer seven items of property described in the Schedules annexed to the deed : one of the properties so agreed to be
transferred was described in the second schedule-a building at
Connaught Place, New Delhi, valued at Rs. 2,24,673/-. No deed
of conveyance was executed in pursuance of the agreement. It
is, however, common ground that on July 1, 1952, Messrs. Phelps
& Co. Ltd. took over possession of the properties agreed to be
sold.
The original cost of the building described in the second schedule was Rs. 97,258/- and the written down value of the building
after deducting depreciation allowed from time to time in the records of the Income-tax Officer was Rs. 57,011/-. In the balance
sheet of the appellant Company dated March 31, 1953 the building
was valued at Rs. 2,24,673/- the price for which it was agreed to be
sold. In proceedings for assessment for the account year 1952-53
the Income-tax Officer, Companies, District IV, Calcutta, brought
to tax the difference between the original cost and the written down
value of the building on the date of the transfer as deemed profit of
the appellant Company under the second proviso to s. 10(2)(vii)
of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922. Before the Appellate Tribunal
it was contended that the sale of assets to the appellant Company
was "in substance to self" and on that account no profit had resulted
to the Company and the amount sought to be brought to tax was
not liable to be includecl in the Company's profit. The Tribunal
514
SUPllEMB COURT REPORTS
[1967] I S.C.R
relying upon the decision of the Bombay High Court in Commis-
.3ioner of Income-tax, Bombay City v. Sir Homi Mehta's Executors(!)
upheld that contention.
At the instance of the Commissioner of Income-tax, Calcutta
the following question was referred to the High Court of Calcutta:-
"Whether on the facts and in the circums~ces of
the case the Tribunal was right in holding that the sum of
rupees forty thousand two hundred and forty seven could
not be deemed to be profits of the assessee company under
second proviso to s. I 0(2)(vii) of the Indian Income-tax
Act ?"
The High Court answered the question in the negative. Against
\he order passed by the High Court, with certificate under s. 66A(2)
of the Indian Income-tax Act, this appeal is preferred.
A
B
c
The High Court was of the view that the principle of the decisions in Sir Homi Mehta's Executor's case(') and in Rogers & Co.
D
v. Commissoner of Income-tax, Bombay City Il(2), did not apply to the
facts of the present case, since at all material times there.were in
existence two corporations which were distinct and the transfer by
one corporation of its assets to another cannot be deemed to be· a
transfer to self; that the transaction by which the appellant Company
transferred its assets to Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd. was a transaction
of sale, and the doctrine of "lifting the veil of corporate
E
personality" had application only to a limited class of cases, and
tLe case of the appellants could not be brought within that class;
and since the two companies "continued to ex.ist side by side"
for many years after the appellant Company had transferred its
assets to Messrs Phelps & Co. Ltd., two different Companies whiCh
carried on business simultaneously could not be regarded as one
F
entity. In this appeal with certificate, the appellant Company
contends that the High Court gravely erred in r.ecording its opinion
on the question submitted, relying on evidence which was never
placed before the Income-tax Officer or· the Tribunal. Counsel
urged tllat the observations made by the High Court that Messrs.
Phelps & Co. Ltd. and the appellant Company "continued to exist
G
side by side as two separate limited Companies" and carried on
business simultaneously for more than ten years is borne out by
no evidence on the record. This criticism has force. The High Court
in a reference under s. 66(1) or (2) is bound to proceed on the findings
recorded by the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal: it has no power
to admit on record additional evidence, as the High Court did,
and to consider that additional evidence which was not placed
H
before the Tribunal. We must therefore proceed on the view
ti) 28 LT.R: 928.
(2) 34 l.T.R. 336.
B
c
D
E
F
•
G
H
ASSOCIATED CLOTHl'BltS v. c.r.T. (Shah, J.)
515
that· there is no evidence before the Tribunal and no finding of
the Tribunal that after transferring its assets the appellant Company carried on business.
Counsel for the Company also submitted that the Tribunal
was in error in observing that the appellant Company had
transferred all its assets and liabilities to the new Company. But
in the statement of the case which is based upon the judgment
of the Tribunal, there is a clear recital "that all the assets and
liabilities of the appellant Company were transferred to Messrs.
Phelps & Co. Ltd. Counsel asked us to ignore that statement in
view of the recital made in the preamble clause of the agreement
dated March 29, 1952 in which it was.recited that Messrs. Phelps
& Co. were "desirous of acquiring a part of the undertaking
and property of the VenQ.or Company." But there is nothing in the
recitals which indicates that any assets were retained by the appellant Company. The Tribunal in deciding the appeal before it
observed:
"Associated Clothiers Ltd. were owners of a business
having assets and liabilities. By sale to Phelps & Co. Ltd.
they got the entire ownership by way of shares and the
same assets and liabilities remained in the hands of Phelps
& Co. Ltd."
This Court must accept the statement made by the Tribunal in
the statement of the case, especially when no objection was raised
thereto before the Tribunal or before the High Court on behalf of
the appellant Company at any time.
On the question whether in determining liability of an assessee
to pay income-tax it is open to the court to ignore the corporate personality of a Company and to fix upon the ownership of the business
as decisive, there has been some difference of opinion. In Sir Homi
Mehta's Executors' case(t) the ·assessee and his sons had formed
a private limited company and transferred to that company shares
in several joint stock companies which the assessee held jointly with
his sons at the market value of the shares at that time. The departmental authorities levied income-taic on the difference between
the market price and the cost price of the shares. The High Court
of Bombay held that the so-called sale of the shares to the Company
was not a business activity entered into with the object of earning
profit; that it was not really a sale but a procedure adopt~d for readjustment of their position as holders of the shares; and that the
assessee did not make any profit or gain in a commercial sense by
transferring the shares to the Company and therefore the difference between the market price and cost price of the shares was
not exigible to tax as profit of the business.
(I) 28 I.T.R. 928.
516
SUPREMB COURT REPORTS
[1967] I S.C.R.
In Rogers & Co.'s case(1) the partners of a firm carrying on the
business of manufacturing aerated waters formed themselves into a
private limited company, the shares allotted to each of them in the
company being in the same proportions as the shares they held in
the firm. The assets of the firm were transferred to the company for
a price exceeding the written down value, and the difference between
the original cost of the assets and the written down value was
brought to tax under s.10(2)(vii) of the Income-tax Act. The High
Court held that the transfer of the assets of the firm to the Company
was merely a readjustment made by the members to enable them to
carry on their business as a Company rather than as a firm and no
profit in a commercial sense was made thereby, and therefore the
transfer of the assets of the firm to the Company w~s not a sale and
the provisions of the second proviso to s. IO (2) (vii) did not apply.
Chagla, C.J., in delivering the judgment in Sir Homi Mehta's
Executors' case(2) observed at p. 932;
"Whatever legal or technical form a transaction may
take, the Court must try and determine what the real transaction was and not the form which the transaction took."
Again the learned Chief Justice in Rogers & Company's case(I)
observed that in all transactions which tome up for consideration
in a taxing statute the Court has to look not at the legal form which
the transaction has, but to the real nature of the transaction,
Counsel for the Revenue contends that in ignoring the legal form
and relying upon "the substance of the transaction" the High Court
of Bombay has erred. He relies in support of his submission upon
the following observations in the judgment of the Judicial Committee in Bank of Chettinad Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax,
Madras(l) at p. 526 :-
A
B
c
D
E
"The Commissioner of Income-tax in his reference
p
stated that "in substance these loans r~prcsent money
lent by the Pudukottai Bank to the Kanadukathan Bank
but the transactions have been unnecessarily complicated by
resorting to a series of entries which are as superfluous as
they are confusing."
Their Lordships think it necessary once more to proG
test against the suggestion that in revenue cases "the substance of the matter" may be regarded as distinguished
from the strict legal position."
But the decision of the Court in Sir Homi Mehta's ·Executors'
casc(2) was not founded only upon the ground that the real transaction" was different from what it purported to be. The Court
H
(I) 34 LT.R. 336.
(2) 28 I.T.R. 928.
(3) 8 L T.R. 522.
•
ASSOCIATED CLOTlilERS V. C.J.T. (Shah, J.)
517
A
in the two cases opined that in determining whether a certain
transaction resulted in profit, it must be found that the transaction
resulted 'in real profit,-profit which from the commercial point
of view meant a gain to the person who entered into the transaction, and that by transferring the assets with the intention merely
to readjust the business relation of the owners of a business or assets
Jl
no real profit was earned.
Counsel for the Revenue relied upon the decision of the Patna ·
High Court in Maharajadhiraj Sir Kameshwar Singh v. Commissioner of Income-tax, Bihar & Orissa(1). It was held in tliat case
that the doctrine that no man can fllake a profit out cif himself is not
,c · applicable to transactions between a person and a limited company, even though all the shares in the company are owned by that
person, because from "a legal point of view a company is an entity
entirely distinct from its shareholders."· The Court observed at
p. 495 :
:D
"
.
. it is not possible in the circumstances
of this case, to ignore or disregard the mask of corporate
entity or to analyse the economic realities behind the transaetion of sale."
Therefore the assessee though he was the. owner of all the shares in
the company could not claim to be treated as if he were identical
with the Company in order to promote his own benefit or advantage.
But in Maharajadhiraj Sir Kameshwar Singh's case(1) it seems to
have been admitted that the price for which the buildings, machinery
and plant were transferred to the Company was not a notional
figure; and tlj.e price being in excess of the cost of buildings, machinery and plant, s. 10(2}(vii) proviso was attracted, and the difference between the written down value and original cost was held
taxable.
· It is unnecessary for the purpose of this case to express any final
opinion on the question, whether in taxing cases it is open to the
. assessing authority to ignore the corporate personality of a company and to hold that the interest of the shareholders in the shares of a
company and on the business of the Company is identical, and transfer
by the owners of a business to a Company in which the shares are
owned by the former owners of the busifies's does not give rise to a
sale in a commercial sense. The present is not a case in which per·
sons carrying on business have floated a private limited company
and have attempted to readjust their business position. Here is a
case in which the assets of one company have been sold to another.
The question to which attention must be directed is whether there
was by the agreement, a transaction of sale in a commercial sense.
(I) 48 1.T.R. 483.
518
SUPlll!ME COURT REPO~TS
(1967] I S.C.R.
In a recent judgment of this Court in Chittoor Motor Transporl
Co. (P) Ltd. v. Income-tax Officer, Chittoor,(1) it was hdd by this
Court that where a private limited company transferred some of
its assets to a partnership consisting of three shareholders who held
the entire issue of shares of the company for a consideration, but the
whole business was not transferred, there was in truth a sale within the
meaning of Sale of Goods Act and under s. 10(2)(vii) the rebate received by the private limited company would be liable to be forfeited. This Court declined to accept the argument that when the
company transferred the vehicles belonging to it to the partnership,
there was no commercial transaction. The Court observed at
p. 242:
"If we look at the resolution dated June 30, 1959, it is
quite clear that it is a sale for consideration of a number
of buses by the limited company to the partnership. It
would be a sale under the Sale of Goods Act and it would
be a sale in any other proper meaning which might be
given to the word 'sale'. We are not concerned whether
any profit resulted to the assessee but what we are concerned with is whether the assessee had sold or transferred
these buses to the partnership. To us the answer seems
to be plain that whether the transaction resulted in profit
to the company or not, the transaction comes within the
purview of the latter part of section 10(2)(vii)."
Counsel for _the Company also submitted that the transaction
was merely a nominal transaction and the property in the shares
remained with the same Company in which it was vested. This
contention was never raised before or decided by the Tribunal,
and it does not arise out of the order of the Tribunal.
It was then urged that there was no profit to the Company since
there was no evidence about the market value of the property transferred and in the absence of any evidence to show that the property
was sold for a price exceeding the written down value, liability
under s. 10(2)(vii) second proviso will not arise. But in the agreement the properties sold were allotted specific values and no attempt
was made at any time before the Tribunal to prove that the values
so allotted to the various properties were not true. Substantially
the whole of the consideration paid by Messrs. Phelps & Co. Lld. is
in. tbe form of shares to the appellant Company, but unless there is
evidence that the market value of the shares was less than their
face value, the claim made by the appellant Company must fail.
The burden of proving that the consideration for sale of the property was less than what it purports to be under the agreement of
sale lay upon the Company and since no attempt was made to p·rove
that fact, the question cannot be raised for the first time in this Court.
(I) 5~ l.T.R. 238.
B
c
D
E
F
G
H
A
B
c
D
E
F
G
B
ASSOCIATED CLOTffiERS V. C.I.T. (Shah, l.)
519
It was also said that the transfer was a slump sale of the assets
and there being no separate sale of the property described in the
second schedule, the difference between the written down value and
the cost price was not liable to be included as income in the process of
assessment. Reliance in this behalf was placed upon the observations of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Doughty
v. Commissioner of Taxes(!). In that case two partners carrying
on business as general merchants and drapers sold the entire assets
and goodwill of the partnership business to a limited company in
which they became the only shareholders. The nominal value of the
shares being more than the sum to the credit of the capital account
of the partnership in its last balance sheet, a new balance sheet was
prepared showing a larger value for the stock in trade. The Commissioner of Taxes treated the increase in value so shown as a profit
on the sale of the stock in trade, and assessed the appellant upon it
for income-tax. The Judicial Committee held that the assessment was
wrongly made since if the transaction was to be treated as a sale
there was no separate sale of the stock, and no valuation of it as an
item forming part of the aggregate sold. This Court has affirmed
the principle in Doughty' s case( I) in a recent judgment : Commissioner of Income-tax v. Mugneeram Bangur & Company (2).
That principle has however no application here. In the present
case it is true that the entire assets of the appellant Company were
sold to Messrs. Phelps & Co. Ltd. There was no separate sale of
different items, but the consideration of each item of property sold
was expressly mentioned in the agreement of sale. The contention
that the transaction of sale was a mere attempt to readjust the
business position of the transferor was never raised before the Tribunal and does not arise out of the order of the Tribunal.
We decide this appeal on the narrow ground that the appellant
Company sold the property in the second schedule for a stated
consideration which was not shown to be- notional, and since the
consideration was in excess of the original cost of the building, the
difference was profit within the meaning of s. 10(2)(vii) second
proviso.
'The appeal therefore fails and is dismissed with costs.
G.C.
(I) [1927] A.C. 327.
(2) '7 l.T.R. 299.
Appeal dismissed.
Ml 6Sup. C. 1./66-5