IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI 
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 08.09.2008 
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 Present:        Ms Premlata Bansal, Advocate for the Petitioner. 
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 +ITA No.1004/2008 
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 This appeal by the revenue is directed against the order of the Income 
 Tax Appellate Tribunal passed on 25.01.2008 in ITA No. 634/Del/2006 pertaining 
 to the assessment year 2002-03.  Two grounds were taken by the revenue before 
 the Tribunal.  Ground No. 1 pertained to the action of the Commissioner Income- 
 tax (Appeals) in deleting the addition of Rs 23,00,000/- made by the assessing 
 officer under section 68 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter to be referred 
 as ?the Act?) on account of alleged unexplained cash credit.  Under ground No. 
 2, the revenue had challenged the action of the Commissioner Income-tax 
 (Appeals) in deleting the addition of Rs 5,49,189/- made by the assessing 
 officer on account of disallowance of deferred revenue expenditure. 
 The Tribunal confirmed the findings of the Commissioner Income-tax 
 (Appeals) in respect of both the grounds and dismissed the revenue?s appeal. 
 With regard to ground No. 1, the Tribunal noted that the assessing officer 
 had treated the sum of Rs 23,00,000/- appearing in the books of the assessee in 
 the name  of M/s Mahamaya Finance Company and M/s Laxmi Finance and Traders as 
 unexplained.  The said concerns were proprietary concerns of one Mr Ram Phool. 
 The Tribunal noted that the said Mr Ram Phool had been regularly assessed to 
 income tax and copies of his returns for the relevant year were filed before the 
 assessing officer by the assessee along with his confirmation.  Mr Ram Phool 
 also appeared before the assessing officer and furnished all the information and 
 details required by him.  He had also produced the books of accounts of his 
 proprietary concerns for verification by the assessing officer.  A statement on 
 oath of Mr Ram Phool was also recorded by the assessing officer.  As per the 
 statement, Mr Ram Phool admitted having advanced the said sum of Rs 23,00,000/- 
 to the assessee.  He had also filed bank statements pertaining to these 
 proprietary concerns indicating that the said sum of money had been advanced to 
 the assessee through bank drafts.  The Tribunal noted that even the deposits to 
 the extent of Rs 23,00,000/- made in the bank accounts of his proprietary 
 concerns were explained by him in his statement recorded by the assessing 
 officer.  It was indicated that the said amount had been received in cash from 
 M/s Punjab Tractors towards repayment of loan given earlier. 
 The Tribunal also took note of the fact that Mr Ram Phool had filed a copy 
 of the ledger account of the said concern as per his books and had also produced 
 the relevant books of accounts to support and substantiate his explanation.  The 
 Tribunal took the view that all that the assessee was required to do to 
 discharge the burden upon him  was to explain the relevant cash credits by 
 establishing the identity and capacity of the concerned creditors as well as 
 indicating the genuineness of the relevant transactions.  The Tribunal concluded 
 that the assessee had discharged this burden and, therefore, there was no reason 
 for the assessing officer to treat the said cash credit as unexplained merely 
 because M/s Punjab Tractors was not traceable.  More importantly, the Tribunal 
 noted that the attempt sought to be made by the assessing officer to verify the 
 whereabouts of the M/s Punjab Tractors was nothing but an attempt to examine the 
 source of the source which was not permissible.  Consequently, the Tribunal held 
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 that the addition of Rs 23,00,000/- made by the assessing officer under section 
 68 of the Act to the total income of the assessee on account of alleged 
 unexplained cash credit was not sustainable. 
 We have heard the learned counsel for the appellant and have examined the 
 findings returned by the Tribunal as well as those returned by the Commissioner 
 Income-tax (Appeals) and find ourselves to be in agreement with the conclusions 
 arrived at by the Tribunal.  The assessing officer is not permitted to examine 
 the source of the source once the assessee has been able to establish that the 
 transaction with his creditors is genuine and that the creditors? identities and 
 creditworthiness have been established.  In this case, this had been done, 
 therefore, it was not open to the assessing officer to make the addition of Rs 
 23,00,000/- after entering upon an examination of the source of the source. 
 Consequently, we feel that no interference is called for on this conclusion in 
 the impugned order passed by the Tribunal.   The Tribunal has correctly applied 
 the law on the facts determined by it.  No substantial question of law arises on 
 this aspect of the matter. 
 Coming to the second ground, we note that this is a clear finding of fact 
 and the Tribunal has accepted the findings returned by the Commissioner Income- 
 tax (Appeals) and has permitted the deduction of expenses towards advertisement 
 which were admittedly of a revenue nature.  The assessee had deferred the 
 revenue expenditure in the year preceding the previous year relevant to the 
 assessment year in question.  The advertising expenses had been incurred on 
 account of the franchise agreements.  It has been noted in the order passed by 
 the Commissioner Income-tax (Appeals) that during the year under consideration, 
 the appellant conducted the business by appointing franchisees for the showrooms 
 meant for the sale of the footwear  but due to some unforeseen circumstances, 
 the agreements with the franchisees got revoked and there was no possibility to 
 carry out or to continue with the franchise business in subsequent years.  The 
 Commissioner Income-tax (Appeals), therefore, noted that the assessee had 
 rightly claimed the expenditure during the year in question as the business had 
 been started during that year.  It would be relevant to note that in the 
 preceding year, an expenditure of a similar nature had been disallowed by the 
 assessing officer on the ground that the business had not commenced.  The 
 finding of the Commissioner Income-tax (Appeals) is that the business has 
 commenced in the year in question.  He has also returned a finding that due to 
 certain reasons, the franchisee agreements got revoked in this year also.  There 
 was no option left with the assessee but to claim the deduction in this year 
 after having deferred the revenue expenditure in the preceding year.  The 
 Tribunal confirmed the findings of the Commissioner Income-tax (Appeals). 
 We do not find any infirmity in the impugned order.  In any event, no 
 substantial question of law arises for our consideration.  The appeal is 
 dismissed. 
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 BADAR DURREZ AHMED, J 
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 RAJIV SHAKDHER, J 
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 September 08, 2008 
 sb 
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 4.