COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX VS ASSOCIATED METALS CO.
1991 P T D 271
[Allahabad High Court (India)]
Before R.M. Sahai and R.K Gulati, JJ
COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX
Versus
ASSOCIATED METALS CO.
Income-tax Applications Nos. 125 and 126 of 1988, decided on 01/02/1989.
Income-tax---
----Reference---Question of fact---Agreement of assessee-company with Bhumidhars of land for sowing and growing crops---Tribunal holding income as agricultural income---No question of law arises.
Bharatji Agrawal for the Commissioner.
JUDGMENT
R.M. SAHAI, J.--In these two applications under section 256(2) of the Income-tax Act. 1961, for assessment years 1980-1981 and 1981-82, the following question of law has been raised:
"Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal was, in law, justified in holding that the income derived by the assessee company should be considered as agricultural income?"
It has been found by the Tribunal that the assessee-company entered into an agreement with Bhumidhars of land for not only filling and cleaning the land but also sowing, growing and protecting the crops. And thereafter the major share of the profit was to be of the company. On these facts," the Tribunal held, after taking into account the totality of the circumstances, that the income derived by the company was agricultural income.
It has been urged that since the land belonged, to Bhumidhars, the income arising out of it would belong to them and not to the assessee. The submission appears to be devoid of any merit in view of the findings recorded by the Tribunal that agricultural income, according to sub-clause (i)(b) of section 2 of the Income-tax Act, means any income derived from land used for agricultural purposes.
In the result, both the applications fail and are dismissed.
Z.S./825/TApplications dismissed.