II. Reported :
58. Appellate Tribunal : Powers : Search : Block assessment : S. 132 and S. 158B of Income-tax Act, 1961 : Tribunal cannot go into validity or otherwise of administrative decision for conducting search and seizure.
[CIT v. Paras Rice Mills, 313 ITR 182 (P&H)]
In an appeal before the Tribunal against a block assessment order the assessee raised the ground that the search and the consequent block assessment order were not valid. The Tribunal held that the search and seizure was illegal as no material was produced to show that the requirements of S. 132 (1) of the Act were complied with.
On appeal by the Revenue, the Punjab & Haryana High Court held as under :
“While hearing an appeal against the order of assessment, the Tribunal could not go into the question of validity or otherwise of any administrative decision for conducting search and seizure. It could be challenged in an independent proceeding where the question of validity of the order could be gone into. The appellate authority was concerned with the correctness or otherwise of the assessment.”