Order not barred by limitation when it was ready to be served upon assessee before limitation period

The issue before the High Court was as under:

Whether the Tribunal erred in law in holding that the assessment order under section 143(3) received by the assessee was barred by limitation and as such perverse?

The High Court held in favour of revenue. The aggrieved-assessee filed the SLP in Supreme Court against such order. The Apex Court dismissed the SLP.

The observations of the High Court are given hereunder:

1) A representative of the assessee, on his own volition and without intimation to the Department, visited the office and found the assessment order ready to be served upon him.

2) The probability of the order being made and ready to be collected by the representative of the assessee before the period of limitation, could not also be ruled out. Thus, assessment order was not barred by limitation. - BINANI INDUSTRIES LTD. V. CIT - [2016] 73 taxmann.com 191 (SC)