Holding

A penalty cannot be levied for the period of stay because the assessee is not in default while the stay order is in effect.

Summary

Consolidated Coffee Ltd. appealed against a penalty notice issued under Section 42 of the Karnataka Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1957, for the period during which a stay of tax recovery was in operation. The assessee had filed appeals against assessments for the years 1981-82 to 1985-86 and obtained a stay order, subject to payment of a sum and furnishing a bank guarantee, which it complied with. After the appeals were dismissed, the tax was recovered via the bank guarantee and the tax officer issued a penalty notice for non‑payment of tax during the stay period. The High Court held the penalty was payable, but the Supreme Court held that during a stay the demand for tax is in abeyance, the assessee is not in default, and therefore no penalty can be levied. The Court set aside the penalty demand and allowed the appeal.

Issues considered

Whether a penalty under Section 42 of the Karnataka Agricultural Income Tax Act can be imposed for the period during which a stay of tax recovery is in operation.

Legislation cited

Karnataka Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1957s. 41, s. 42, s. 61

Subjects

Agricultural Income TaxPenaltyStay of recoveryDefaultKarnataka Agricultural Income Tax ActSection 42Tax assessment

Judgment

M/S CONSOLIDATED COFFEE LTD. ETC.
v.
··THE AGRICULTURAL INCOME TAX OFFICER,
MADIKERI AND ORS.

NOVEMBER 14, 2000
B
[S.P. BHARUCHA AND D.P. MOHAPATRA, JJ.]

Agricultural Income Tax:

c Karnataka Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1957-Sections 41 and 42-
levy of penalty during period of stay of recovery of tax-Whether assessee
in default during the period and thus liable to penalty-Held, no.

Appellant-assessee filed appeals together with applications for stay of
recovery of tax before Assistant Commissioner against assessments made by
D Agricultural Income Tax Officer under the provisions of Karnataka
Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1957. Commissioner stayed the recovery of the
tax subject to the condition of payment of a stated amount and furnishing of a
bank guarantee. The conditions of the stay orders were duly complied with by
the assessee. The appeals were finally dismissed by the Commissioner.
E Invoking the bank guarantee, the amount of tax was realised by the taxation
authorities. The Agricultural Income Tax Officer issued a notice to the
assessee under Section 42(1) of the Act proposing to levy penalty for not
making the payment of tax during the period of stay. The assessee filed a
Writ Petition in High Court for quashing the Notice. Single Judge dismissed
the Writ Petition. On appeal, Division Bench also dismissed the appeal of the
F assessee.
In appeal to this Court, the assessee contended that no penalty could be
levied for the period during which the stay orders were in operation because
for that period the assessee was not in default as per .the provisions of the
Act. Revenue contended that the stay order only prevented them from effecting
G a recovery of the tax due from the assessee and that the assessee's obligation
to pay the tax remained unaffected by the stay order and therefore the assessee
is in default under the Act and thus liable to pay penalty.

Allowing the appeals, the Court

H 608
,,

CONSOLIDATED COFFEE LTD. r. AGRICULTURAL INCOME TAX OFFICER 609
HELD: t.t Section 42 of the Karnataka Agricultural Income Tax Act, A
1957 requires payment of penalty by an assessee who has not paid tax in time
and the quantum of the penalty increases with the delay. The Section speaks
of an assessee in default. Sub-section (2) of the section empowers collection
of tax from an assessee in default as If it were an arrear of land revenue and
as if it were a fine imposed by a Magistrate under the Code of Criminal B
Procedure.. The proviso says where an assessee or other person has appealed
or applied for revision of any order made under the Act and has complied
with an order made by the appellate or the revising authority in regard to the
payment of tax, no proceedings for recovery under sub-section (2) may be
continued until the disposal of the appeal or revision. Thus there is
recognition that during the period of stay is in operation, recovery of the tax C
cannot be effected. It cannot be effected because the order of stay has placed
the demand for the tax in abeyance.1613-C-D, El

1.2. An order of stay may be made in different ways but the effect thereof
is the same, namely, that for the period during which an order of stay operates,
the order that is stayed does not exist in the eye of the law.1613-Fl D
Once the stay is vacated, the order is resuscitated and may then be
executed. For the period of the stay the assessee cannot be said to be in default
of the orders stayed and therefore, no penalty can be imposed. 1613-Fl

Kanoria Chemicals and Industries ltd. v. UP. State Electricity Board, E
119971 5 sec 772, relied on.

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal Nos. 98-102 of
2000.

From the Judgment and Order dated 19.8.99 of the Karnataka High Court F
in W.A. Nos. 4610-4614of1997.

WITH

Civil Appeal No. 3051 of2000.
G
G. Sarangan, Sanjay Kunur, R.N. Keshwani and N.N. Keshwani for the
Appellant.

Sanjay R. Hegde and Satya Mitra for the Respondents.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by H
610 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2000] SUPP. 4 S.C.R.

A BHARUCHA, J.

CA. Nos. 98-102 of 2000

The judgment and order under appeal was passed by a Division Bench
of the High Court of Karnataka on writ appeals.
-
B
Briefly stated, these are the facts: These appeals relate to the
Assessment Years 1981-82 to 1985-86. After the Agricultural Income-Tax Officer
had completed its assessments for these years under the provisions of the
Kamataka Agricultural Income-Tax Act, 1957, the assessee filed appeals before
the A.ssistant Commissioner, Agricultural Income-Tax. On the assessee's
C applic~tion~ for stay, the Assistant Commissioner passed orders on 24th
June, 1989 staying the recovery of the tax assessed subject to the payment
of a stated. amount and the furnishing of a bank guarantee. The conditions
of the stay orders were complied with. The appeals were thereafter dismissed
by the Assistant Commissioner, on 19th March, 1990. Thereupon, the bank
D guarantee was invoked and the balance of the amount of tax realized by the
taxation authorities.

On 7th June, 1996, the Agricultural Income Tax Officer issued to the
assessee a notice under Section 42(1) of the said Act proposing to levy
penalty in the aggregate sum of Rs. 7,65,578 for not complying with the
E demands to pay tax between March, 1989 and 26th March, 1990. The demand
of penalty was thereafter confirmed. The assessee filed a writ petition in the
High Court at Karnataka for quashing the notice proposing to levy penalty
and the order dated 6th March,. l 997 passed thereon. The principal contention
that was raised on behalf of the assessee was that no penalty could be levied
F for the period during which the orders of stay were in operation because for
that period the assessee could not be said to be in default. Relying upon
earlier judgments of the High Court, the learned Single Judge answered
against the assessee the question that he posed thus:

"Whether the stay of the recovery as ordered by the Appellate
G Authority could grant an immunity to the petitioner against the levy
of penalty for the said intervening period after the orders were vacated
and the appeals dismissed."

The assessee carried the order of the learned Single Judge before a
Division Bench of the High Court. The order that is impugned before us was
H passed on those writ appeals. The Division Bench held:
CONSOLIDATED COFFEE LTD. 1•. AGRICULTURAL INCOME TAX OFFICER [BHARUCHA, J.) 61 l

"The provision of section 42 of the Act only quantifies the default A
for which the provisions have been made under section 41 and as
such for the period the amount remained unpaid because of stay
granted by the Appellate Authority, the appellants are liable for payment
of penalty."

Sections 41 and 42 of the said Act read thus: B

- "41. Tax when payable-(1) Any amount specified as payable in
a notice of demand under section 31 or an order under section 32,
section 32A, section 34 or section 35, shat! be paid within the time,
at the place and to the person mentioned in a notice or order or if a
time is not so mentioned, then, on or before the first day of the c
second month following the date of the service of the notice or order
and any assessee failing so to pay shall be deemed to be in default.

(2) If an assessee makes an application within the time mentioned
r( in the notice of demand in section 3 1, for being allowed to pay the
tax due, the Agricultural Income-Tax Officer may in his discretion, by D
order in writing, allow the assessee to pay the tax due, in instalments
not exceeding four in number at such intervals as the said Officer may
fix in his discretion or extend the time for the payment of the entire
tax due for such reasonable period as he may fix, if the assessee
undertakes in writing to pay interest at the rate charged by the E
Scheduled Banks for unsecured loans.

Provided that if, on being allowed to pay the tax due by instalments,
the assessee defaults in the payment of any one instalment, he shall

-
be deemed to be a defaulter in respect of the total remaining amount
of tax due. F
42. Mode and time of recovery.-{1) Where any assessee is in
default in making payment of the tax or any other amount due under
This Act,-

(i) the whole of the amount outstanding on the date of default G
shall become immediately due and shall be a charge on the properties
of the person or persons liable to pay the tax or any other amount due
under this Act, and

(ii) the person or persons liable to pay the tax or any other amount
due under this Act shali pay a penalty equal to - H
612 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2000] SUPP. 4 S.C.R.

A (a) one and one half per cent of the tax remaining unpaid for each
month for the first three months after the expiry of the time specified
under sub-section (I) or allowed under sub-section (2), of section 41;
and

(b) two and one half per cent of such tax for each month subsequent
B to the first three months as aforesaid.

Exp/anation.-For the purposes of clause (ii) the penalty payable, for
a part of a month shall be proportionately detennined.

(2) Any tax assessed or any amount due under this Act from any
C assessee or any other person may, without prejudice to any other
mode of collection, be recovered-

(a) as if it were an arrear of land revenue; or
(aa) by attachment and sale or by sale without attachment of any
property of such assessee or any other person by such authority,
D in such manner, as may be prescribed;
(b) notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973, (Central Act 2 of 1974), on an application to any
Magistrate, by such Magistrate, as if it were a fine imposed by him:

E Provided that where an assessee or other person who has appealed
or applied for revision of any order made under this Act and has
complied with an order made by the appellate or the revising authority
in regard to the payment of tax or other amount, no proceedings for
recovery under this sub-section shall be taken or continued until the
disposal of such appeal or application for revision.
F
(3) The High Court may either suo-motu or on an application made
by the Commissioner or any person aggrieved by the order revise an
order made by a Magistrate under clause (b) of sub-section (2)."

The argument on behalf of the taxing authorities is that the stay order
G only prevented them from effecting a recovery of the tax due from the assessee;
it did not preclude the assessee from paying the tax. Therefore, the assessee's
obligation to pay the tax remained unaffected by the stay order and it continued
to be in default. It was, therefore, liable to make payment of the penalty
demanded under Section 42.

H It may immediately be noted that Section 41 contemplates the payment
CON SO LIDA TED COFFEE LTD. r. AGRICULTURAL INCOME TAX OFFICER [BHARUCHA, J.) 613

of interest when an assessee seeks time for payment of the tax due. A A
provision in regard to interest is also to be found in Section 61 of .the Act.
There is, therefore, no good reason for assuming, as the High Court appears
to have done, that what Section 42 contemplated was in reality the payment
of interest and not penalty. Interest is compensatory; penalty is penal, that
is, punishing in character. Section 42 requires the payment of penalty by an B
assessee who has not paid tax in time and the quantum of the penalty
increases with the delay.

Section 42 speaks of an assessee in default.'The question, therefore, is:
can an assessee be said to be in default during the period for which an order
of stay of recovery of the tax due from him is operating ? The answer is C
indicated in the proviso to sub-section (2) itself. Sub-section (2) empowers
the collection of tax from an assessee in default as if it were an arrear of land
revenue and as if it were a fine imposed by a Magistrate under the Code of
Criminal Procedure. The proviso says that where an assessee or other person
has appealed or applied for revision of any order made under the said Act
and has complied with an order made by the appellate or the revising authority D
in regard to the payment of tax, no proceedings for recovery under sub-
section (2) may be continued until the disposal of the appeal or revision.
Thus, there is recognition that during the period the stay is in operation
recovery of the tax cannot be effected. It cannot be effected because the order
of stay has placed the demand for the tax in abeyance. During the period of E
the stay, therefore, the assessee is not in default.

As has been pointed out by this court in Kanoria Chemicals and
Industries Ltd. v. UP. State Electricity Board, [1997] 5 SCC 772, an order of
stay may be made in different ways but the effect thereof is the same, namely,
that for the period during which an order of stay operates, the order that is F
stayed does not exist in the eye of the law. Once the stay is vacated, the order
is resuscitated and may then b~ executed. For the period of stay, therefore,
the assessee cannot be said to be in default of the orders stayed and,
therefore, no penalty in that behalf can be imposed.

G
Our attention was invited by learned counsel for the taxing authorities
to the judgment in the case of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries Ltd., just
referred to, as relevant to a case of penalty. That was a case that related to
late payment surcharge/interest on an amount due. The question was whether
such late payment surcharge/interest was penal in nature and, therefore,
could not be recovered, having regard to the stay of recovery tltereof granted H
614 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2000] SUPP. 4 S.C.R.

A by an appropriate authority. This Court did not accept the argument that it
was penal but, having regard to the fact that the rate of late payment surcharge
seemed penal and the facts and circumstances of the case, it reduced the
assessee's obligation in respect thereof. We cannot, based upon the aforesaid ,.
judgment or otherwise, accept the submission of learned counsel for the '
taxing authorities that the penalty contemplated by Section 42 is analogous
B to a late payment surcharge/interest. A late payment surcharge/interest is
necessarily compensatory in character. A penalty is a punishment.

In the premises, we hold that the assessee was not in default for the
period 24th June, 1989 onwards and that it cannot be subjected to penalty
C under Section 42 iri regard to that period. The demand in that behalf is set
aside.

The appeal is allowed to the aforesaid extent. No order as to costs.

C.A. No. 3051 of 2000
D The facts are similar to those in C.A. Nos. 98-102/2000 just decided
except that, in this case, the stay order was passed by the High Court. For
the period during which that stay order was in operation the assessee was
not, for the reasons set out above, in default and the demand of penalty under
Section 42 for that period is set aside.
E
The appeal is allowed to the aforesaid extent.

No order as to costs.

B.S. Appeals allowed.

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