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REPORTABLE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1764 OF 2010

Commissioner of Income Tax, Udaipur   … Appellant(s)

Versus

M/s. Chetak Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.          …Respondent(s)

J U D G M E N T

A. M. KHANWILKAR, J.

1. This appeal takes exception to the  judgment and order dated

5.5.2008 passed by the High Court of  Judicature  for Rajasthan at

Jodhpur (for short, “the High Court”) in Income Tax Appeal No. 71 of

2008.

2. The matter relates to Assessment Year 2002­2003, the relevant

Previous/Financial year for which is 2001­2002 i.e. 1.4.2001 to

31.3.2002.

3. Briefly stated, the erstwhile partnership firm ­ M/s. Chetak

Enterprises entered into an agreement with the Government of

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Rajasthan  for  construction of road  and collection of road/toll tax.

The construction of road was completed by the said firm on 27.3.2000

and the same was inaugurated on 1.4.2000.  The firm was converted

into a private limited company on 28.3.2000 named as M/s. Chetak

Enterprises (P) Ltd. (for short, “the assessee­Company”) under Part IX

of the  Companies Act,  1956  (for  short, “the Companies Act”).  On

conversion of the firm into company, an intimation was given to the

Chief Engineer (Roads), P.W.D., Rajasthan, Jaipur.   The said

authority noted the change and cancelled the registration of the firm

and granted a fresh registration code to the assessee­Company.   As

aforesaid, the road was inaugurated on 1.4.2000 and the assessee­

Company started collecting toll tax.   For the relevant assessment

year, the assessee­Company claimed deduction under Section 80­IA

of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (for short, “the Income Tax Act”). The

assessing officer declined that claim of the assessee­Company, which

decision was reversed by the Commissioner of Income­Tax (Appeals),

Udaipur.   The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (for short, “the ITAT”)

confirmed the decision of the first appellate authority,  following its

decision1  in  the case of the assessee­Company  for  the Assessment

Year 2001­2002.   As a result,  the Department preferred an appeal

1 Chetak Enterprises P. Ltd. vs. ACIT, (2005) 95 ITD 1 (Jodh.)

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before the  High  Court.   The  High  Court formulated the following

question of law: ­

“Whether in the facts and in the circumstances of

the case, the assessee­Company was right in finding

that the assessee fulfilled the condition of sub­

Section (4)(i)(b) of Section 80­IA?”

Section 80­IA, as applicable to Assessment Year 2002­03 reads thus:

­

“80­IA  (1) Where the gross total income of an assessee includes any profits and gains derived from any business of an industrial  undertaking or an enterprise referred to in sub­section (4) (such business being hereinafter referred to as the eligible business), there shall, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this section, be allowed, in computing the total income  of the assessee, a deduction from such profits and gains of an amount equal to hundred per cent of profits and gains derived from such business for the first five assessment years commencing at any time during the periods as specified in sub­section (2) and thereafter, twenty­five per cent of the profits and gains for further five assessment years:

Provided  that where the assessee is a company, the provisions of this sub­section shall have effect as if for the words “twenty­five per cent”, the words “thirty per cent” had been substituted.  

(2) The deduction specified in sub­section (1) may, at the option of the assessee, be claimed by him for any ten consecutive assessment years out of fifteen years beginning from the  year in which the  undertaking  or the  enterprise develops and begins to operate any infrastructure facility or starts  providing telecommunication service  or  develops  an industrial park or generates power or commences transmission or distribution of power:

Provided  that where the assessee begins operating and maintaining any infrastructure facility referred to in clause (b) of Explanation to clause (i) of sub­section (4), the

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provisions of this sub­section shall have effect as if for the words “fifteen years”, the  words “twenty years”  had  been substituted.  

(2A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub­section (1) or sub­section (2), the deduction in computing the total income of an undertaking providing telecommunication services, specified in clause (ii)  of sub­section (4), shall be hundred  per cent of the  profits and gains of the eligible business for the first five assessment years commencing at any time during the periods as specified in sub­section (2) and thereafter, thirty per cent of such profits and gains for further five assessment years.  

(3) This section applies to an industrial undertaking referred to in clause (iv) of sub­section (4) which fulfils all the following conditions, namely: ­

(i) it is not formed by splitting up, or the reconstruction, of a business already in existence:

Provided  that this condition shall not apply in respect of an industrial undertaking which is formed as a result of the re­establishment, re­construction or revival by the assessee of the business of any such industrial undertaking as is referred to in section 33B, in  the circumstances and within the period specified in that section;  

(ii) it is not formed by the transfer to a new business of machinery or plant previously used for any purpose.

Explanation 1.­For the purposes of clause (ii), any machinery or plant which was used outside India by any person other than the assessee shall not be regarded as machinery or plant previously used for any purpose,  if the following conditions are fulfilled, namely: ­

(a) Such machinery  or  plant  was not,  at any time  previous to the  date of the installation by the assessee, used in India;

(b) such machinery or plant is imported into India from any country outside India; and

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(c) no deduction on account of depreciation in respect of such machinery or plant has been allowed or is allowable under the provisions of this Act in computing the total income of any person for any period prior to the date of the installation of machinery or plant by the assessee.  

Explanation 2.­Where in the case of an industrial undertaking, any machinery or plant or any part thereof previously used for any purpose is transferred to a new business and the total value of the machinery or plant or part so transferred does not exceed twenty per cent of the total value of the machinery or plant used in the business, then, for the purposes of clause (ii) of this sub­section, the condition specified therein shall be deemed to have been complied with.  

(4) This section applies to­  

(i) Any enterprise carrying on the business of (i) developing, (ii) maintaining and operating or (iii) developing, maintaining and operating any infrastructure facility which fulfils all the following conditions, namely: ­

(a) it is owned by a company registered in India or by a consortium of such companies;

(b) it has entered into an agreement with the Central Government or a State Government or a local authority or any other statutory body for (i) developing, (ii) maintaining and operating or (iii) developing,  maintaining and operating a new infrastructure facility subject to the condition that such infrastructure facility shall be transferred to the Central Government, State Government, local authority or such other statutory body, as the case may be, within the period stipulated in the agreement;

(c) it  has started or starts operating and maintaining the infrastructure facility on or after the 1st day of April, 1995:

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Provided  that where an infrastructure facility is transferred on or after the 1st

day of April, 1999 by an enterprise which developed such infrastructure facility (hereafter referred to in this section as the transferor enterprise) to another enterprise (hereafter in this section referred to as the transferee enterprise) for the purpose of operating and maintaining the infrastructure facility on its behalf in accordance with the agreement with the Central Government, State Government, local authority or statutory body, the provisions of this section shall apply to the transferee  enterprise  as if it  were the enterprise to which this clause applies and the deduction from profits and gains would be available to such transferee enterprise for the unexpired period during which the transferor enterprise would have been entitled to the deduction,  if the transfer  had not taken place.  

Explanation.­ For the purposes of this clause, “infrastructure facility” means,­

(a) a road, bridge, airport, port, inland waterways and inland ports, rail system or any other public facility of a similar  nature as  may  be  notified  by the Board in this behalf in the Official Gazette;

(b) a highway project including housing or other activities being an integral part of the highway project; and  

(c) a water supply project, water treatment system, irrigation project sanitation and sewerage system or solid waste management system;

(ii)  any undertaking which has started or starts providing telecommunication services whether basic or cellular, including radio paging, domestic satellite service, network of turnking, broadband network and internet services on or after the 1st day of April, 1995, but on or before the 31st day of March, 2003;

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(iii) any undertaking which develops, develops and operates or maintains and operates an industrial park notified by the Central Government in accordance with the scheme framed and notified  by the  Government for the period beginning on the 1st  day of April, 1997 and ending on the 31st  day of March, 2006:

Provided  that in a case where an undertaking develops an  industrial  park on or after the 1st  day of April, 1999 and transfers the operation and maintenance of such industrial park to another undertaking (hereafter in this  section  referred to  as the transferee undertaking) the deduction under sub­section (1), shall be allowed to such transferee undertaking for the remaining period in the ten consecutive assessment years in  a  manner  as if the  operation  and maintenance were not so transferred to  the transferee undertaking;

(iv) an industrial undertaking which,­

(a) is set  up  in any part of India  for the generation or generation and distribution of power if it begins to generate power at any time during the period beginning on the 1st day of April, 1993 and ending on the 31st  day of March, 2003;

(b) starts transmission  or  distribution  by laying a network of  new transmission or distribution lines at any time during the period beginning on the 1st  day of April, 1999 and ending on the 31st day of March, 2003:

Provided  that the deduction under this section to an industrial undertaking under sub­clause (b) shall be allowed only in relation to the profits derived from laying of such network of new lines for transmission or distribution.  

(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision  of this  Act, the  profits and gains  of an eligible business to  which the  provisions  of sub­section (1)  apply shall, for the purposes of determining the quantum of

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deduction under that  sub­section  for the assessment year immediately succeeding the initial assessment year or any subsequent assessment year, be computed as if such eligible business  were the  only source  of income  of the  assessee during the previous year relevant to the initial assessment year and to every  subsequent assessment year up to and including the assessment year for which the determination is to be made.  

(6) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub­section (4), where housing or other activities are an integral part of the highway project and the profits of which are computed on such basis and manner as may be prescribed, such profit shall not be liable to tax where the profit has been transferred to  a special reserve  account  and  the same  is actually utilised for the highway project excluding housing and other activities before the expiry of three years following the year in which such amount was transferred to the reserve account; and the amount remaining unutilised shall be chargeable to tax as income of the year in which such transfer to reserve account took place.  

(7) Where the assessee is a person other than a company or a co­operative society, the deduction under the sub­ section (1) from profits and gains derived from an industrial undertaking shall not be admissible unless the accounts of the industrial undertaking for the previous year relevant to the assessment year for which the deduction is claimed have been audited by an accountant, as defined in the Explanation below sub­section  (2)  of  section 288, and the assessee furnishes, along with his return of income, the report of such audit in the prescribed form duly signed and verified by such accountant.

(8) Where any goods held for the purposes of  the eligible business are transferred to any other business carried on by the assessee, or where any goods held for the purposes of any other business carried on by the assessee are transferred to the eligible business and, in either case, the consideration,  if  any,  for  such transfer  as recorded in the accounts of the eligible business does not correspond to the market value of such goods as on the date of the transfer, then, for the purposes of the deduction under this section, the profits and gains of such eligible business shall be computed as if the transfer, in either case, had been made at the market value of such goods as on that date:

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Provided that where, in the opinion of the Assessing Officer, the computation of the profits and gains of the eligible business in the manner hereinbefore specified presents exceptional difficulties,  the Assessing Officer  may compute such profits and gains on such reasonable basis as he may deem fit.  

Explanation. ­For the purposes of this sub­section, “market value”, in relation to any goods, means the price that such goods would ordinarily fetch on sale in the open market.  

(9) Where any amount of profits and gains of an industrial undertaking or of an enterprise in the case of an assessee is claimed and allowed under this section for any assessment year, deduction to the extent of such profits and gains shall not be allowed under any other provisions of this Chapter under the heading “C.­Deductions in respect of certain incomes”, and shall in no case exceed the profits and gains of such eligible business of industrial undertaking or enterprise, as the case may be.  

(10) Where it appears to the Assessing Officer that, owing to the close connection between the assessee carrying on the eligible business to which this section applies an any other person, or for any other reason, the course of business between them is so arranged that the business transacted between them produces to the assessee more than the ordinary profits which might be expected to arise  in such eligible business, the Assessing Officer shall, in computing the profits and gains of such eligible business for the purposes of the deduction under this section, take the amount of profits as may be reasonably deemed to have been derived therefrom.  

(11) The Central Government may, after making such inquiry as it may think fit, direct, by notification in the Official Gazette, that the exemption conferred by this section shall  not apply to  any class  of industrial  undertaking  or enterprise with effect from such date as it may specify in the notification.  

(12) Where any undertaking of an Indian company which is entitled to the deduction under this section is transferred, before the expiry of the period specified in this section, to another Indian company  in a scheme of  amalgamation or demerger­  

(a) no deduction shall be admissible under this section to the amalgamating or the demerged company for the previous year in which the

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amalgamation  or the  demerger takes  place; and  

(b) the provisions of this section shall, as far as may be, apply to the amalgamated or the resulting company as they would have applied to the amalgamating or the demerged company if the amalgamation or demerger had not taken place.”

The High Court while upholding the view taken by the first appellate

authority and the ITAT, dismissed the appeal and observed thus: ­

‘‘…..In the present case, so far as the facts are concerned, it is not in dispute, that the work of construction of roads was completed on 27.3.2000, and on and with effect from 28.3.2000, the partnership firm was converted into a Company, by being registered under Part IX of the Companies Act, and became a private Limited Company. As noticed above, the relevant previous year is 1.4.2000 to 31.3.2001. Thus, right from the commencement of the relevant financial year, it cannot be disputed, that it was a Company, and was undertaking the specified business. Then, so far as the question, as has been gone into by the Assessing Officer, and the Excise Commissioner that the assessee Company has not entered into any agreement with the Government, is concerned,  in that regard, the  learned Tribunal has found, that the main objects of the Memorandum of Association of the assessee Company indicates, that it was mentioned as under:

‘‘On conversion of  the partnership firm into a company limited by shares under these presents to acquire by operation of Law under Part IX of the Companies Act,  1956 as going concern and continue the partnership business now being carried on under the name & style of M/s Chetak Enterprises including all its assets, movables and immovables, rights, debts and liabilities in connection therewith.’’

Then, it has also been found by the learned Tribunal, at page 13 of the judgment, that the erstwhile partnership firm, in its first communication to the  Chief  Engineer  on 23.10.1998, while replying to the notice inviting bids, made it categorically clear, that ‘‘the firm will be converted into a limited company under Chapter IX of the Companies Act. As such, you are requested to allow us change in constitution and accordingly change of name in agreement, after

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converting firm into company with the existing partners as its Directors, and the Chief Engineer vide letter dt. 27.8.1999, took note of this letter, and informed, that their offer was accepted, subject to terms and conditions specified therein. It is thereafter, that agreement  was entered into between the  Government  and the  Firm,  wherein the said letter of the Chief Engineer dt. 27.8.1999, was considered as part of the agreement. With this, the agreement also mentions the firm, ‘‘to mean and include its successors and assigns’’. Thus it has been found, that since incorporation of the Firm into a Company, has the effect of statutorily vesting of liabilities and assets in the Firm, and the agreement comprehends successors  and assigns, it is  clear, that the assessee fulfils all the conditions. Then the proviso, appended in this sub­section, has also been considered, which clearly provides for entitlement of the deduction to the transferee,  with  effect from  the  date  of transfer, therefore also, it was found that the deduction is available.  

In our view, when right from the day one, i.e. while replying to the  notice inviting tenders itself, it  was  made clear by the Firm, that  the Firm will  be converting  into a limited Company under Part IX of the Companies Act, and the Chief Engineer was requested to allow the change in the Constitution, and accordingly change of name in the agreement, after converting the Firm into the Company, with the existing partners as its Directors, and this request was accepted, and that acceptance letter formed part of the agreement, in our view, the  Firm  stands in the shoes of promoter, and the Company takes over all assets and liabilities statutorily.

In  other  words,  by  operation  of law, there is statutory transformation of the Firm into the Company, obviously the rights and liabilities of the Company, and the assets, go to the  Company.   It is a different story that even from  the agreement entered into by the promoter (predecessor in the interest of the Company), as successor of the Firm and the Company is deemed to be a party, and, therefore also, is very much entitled  to the benefit  of  deduction on this  ground. Over & above all this, the proviso is a complete answer to the contention of the Revenue,  and  in  favour of the assessee, which rather clearly provides, that even in case of transfer, the  transferee will  become entitled  to  deduction of  course with effect from the date of transfer.

In the present case, the transfer was statutory, and did come into effect since 28.3.2000, i.e. much before the commencement of the relevant financial year, and as such,

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considering from any standpoint, the assessee could not be denied benefit of deduction available to it.”

4. Being aggrieved, the Department filed two separate special leave

petitions before this Court.   The present civil appeal emanates from

SLP(C) No. 6772/2009 and pertains to Assessment Year 2002­2003.

As regards  Civil  Appeal  No.  1748/2010  (arising  out  of  SLP(C)  No.

3430/2009) pertaining to Assessment Year 2001­2002, the same has

been disposed of in terms of order dated 17.10.2019 due to low tax

effect leaving question of law open.

5. We have heard Mr. Rupesh Kumar, learned counsel for the

appellant and Mr. S. Krishnan, learned counsel for the respondent.

6. It is not in dispute that an agreement was executed between the

erstwhile partnership firm and the State Government for construction

of road and collection of toll tax.   Before the commencement of the

assessment year in question i.e. 2002­2003, the construction of road

was completed (on 27.3.2000) and it was inaugurated on 1.4.2000.

Before the date of inauguration, the partnership firm was converted

into a company on 28.3.2000 under Part IX of the Companies Act.

The Memorandum of Association of the assessee­Company reveals the

main object as follows: ­

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“On conversion of the partnership firm into a

company limited by shares under these presents to

acquire  by  operation  of law under  Part IX  of the

Companies Act, 1956 as going concern and

continue the partnership business now being

carried on under the name and style of M/s. Chetak

Enterprises  including all its  assets,  movables and

immovables, rights, debts and liabilities in

connection therewith.”

As  a  matter of fact, before the  agreement  was  executed  with the

erstwhile partnership firm, it was clearly understood that the

partnership firm would in due course be converted into a registered

limited company.  That is evident from the communication addressed

to the Chief Engineer on 23.10.1998, at the time of replying to the

notice inviting bids.   An explicit request was made to allow the

partnership firm to change its constitution and consequently change

of name in the agreement after converting the firm into a company

with the existing partners as its Directors.  The Chief Engineer being

the appropriate authority of  the State, vide letter dated 27.8.1999,

took note of the request made by the erstwhile partnership firm and

informed the said firm that its offer was accepted subject to terms

and conditions specified in that regard.   It is only after this

interaction, an agreement was entered into between the Government

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of Rajasthan and the erstwhile partnership firm, in which the

communication  sent  by the  Chief  Engineer,  dated  27.8.1999,  was

made part  of the  agreement.  Notably,  after the  conversion of the

partnership firm into a company under Part IX of the Companies Act,

the State authorities noted the change and provided fresh registration

code to the assessee­Company.

7. The question is: what is the effect of conversion of partnership

firm into a company under Part IX of the Companies Act?  That can

be discerned from Section 575 of  the Companies Act,  which reads

thus: ­

“575. Vesting of property on registration.­ All property, movable and immovable (including actionable claims), belonging to or vested in a company at the date of its registration in pursuance of this Part, shall, on such registration, pass to and vest in the company as incorporated under this Act for all the estate and interest of the company therein.”  

It is manifest that all properties, movable and immovable (including

actionable claims) belonging to or vested in a company at the date of

its registration would vest in the company as incorporated under the

Act.   In other  words, the property acquired by a promoter can be

claimed by the company after its incorporation without any need for

conveyance on account of statutory vesting.   On such statutory

vesting, all the properties of the firm, in law, vest in the company and

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the firm is succeeded by the company.  The firm ceases to exist and

assumes the status of a company after its registration as a company.

A priori, it must follow that the business is carried on by the

enterprise owned by a company registered in India and the agreement

entered  into  between the  erstwhile  partnership firm and  the  State

Government, by legal implication, assumes the character of an

agreement  between the  company registered  in  India  and the  State

Government for (i) developing, (ii) maintaining and operating or (iii)

developing, maintaining and operating a new infrastructure facility.

8. For the purpose of considering compliance of clause (a) of

Section 80­IA(4)(i), the assessee must be an enterprise carrying on

business of (i) developing, (ii) maintaining and operating or (iii)

developing, maintaining and operating any infrastructure facility,

which enterprise is owned by a company registered in India.   That

stipulation is fulfilled in the present case, as the registered firm was

converted  into a company under Part  IX of the Companies Act on

28.3.2000, which is before the commencement of  Assessment Year

2002­2003.   For the assessment year under consideration, the

activity undertaken by the assessee is only maintaining and operating

or developing, maintaining and operating the infrastructure facility,

inasmuch as, the construction of the road was completed on

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27.3.2000 and the same was inaugurated on 1.4.2000, whereafter toll

tax was being collected by the assessee­Company.

9. As regards clause (b) of Section 80­IA(4)(i), the requirement

predicated is that the assessee must have entered into an agreement

with the Central Government or a State Government or a local

authority or any other statutory body for (i) developing, (ii)

maintaining and operating or (iii) developing, maintaining and

operating a new infrastructure facility.   As aforesaid, in the present

case, the agreement was initially executed between the erstwhile

partnership firm and the State Government, but with clear

understanding that as and when the partnership firm is converted

into a company, the name of the company in the agreement so

executed be recorded recognising the change.  Notably, the agreement

itself mentions that M/s. Chetak Enterprises as party to the

agreement was meant to include its successors and assignee.

Further, the State Government had granted sanction to the company

and the original agreement entered into with the firm automatically

stood converted in favour of the assessee­Company, which came into

existence on 28.3.2000 being the successor of the erstwhile

partnership firm.  Thus understood, even the stipulation in clause (b)

of  Section  80­IA(4)(i) is fulfilled  by the assessee­Company.   Since

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these are the only two issues which weighed with the assessing officer

to deny deduction to the assessee­Company as claimed under Section

80­IA of the Income Tax Act, the first appellate authority was justified

in reversing the view taken by the assessing officer.   For the same

reason, the ITAT, as well as, the High Court have justly affirmed the

view taken by the first appellate authority, holding that the

respondent/assessee­Company qualified for the deduction under

Section 80­IA being  an enterprise  carrying  on the  stated business

pertaining to infrastructure facility and owned by a Company

registered in India on the basis of the agreement executed with the

State  Government  to which the respondent/assessee­Company has

succeeded in law after conversion of the partnership firm into a

company.

10. Learned counsel for the appellant has relied on the decision of

this Court in  Giridhar G. Yadalam vs. Commissioner of Wealth

Tax & Anr.2.   In the said decision, the Court had delineated the

contours regarding permissibility of purposive interpretation of

taxing/fiscal statutes,  particularly in the  context  of  an exemption.

This decision is of no avail to doubt the correctness of the view taken

2 (2015) 17 SCC 664

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by the High Court vide the impugned judgment, in the facts of the

present case.

11.  In view of the above, the appeal stands dismissed with no order

as to costs.

................................., J      (A.M. Khanwilkar)       

................................., J       (Dinesh Maheshwari)    

New Delhi; March 05, 2020.