Ita/83/2021 Of Pr Commissioner Of Income Tax v. M/S Rambus Chip Technologies India Pvt Ltd

NC: 2024:KHC:40083-DBITA No. 83 of 2021 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 25 DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2024 PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE S.G.PANDIT AND THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE C.M. POONACHA INCOME TAX APPEAL NO. 83 OF 2021 BETWEEN: (BY SRI. SANMATHI E I., ADVOCATE) Digitallysigned byBHARATHI SAND:Location:HIGH COURTOFM/S. RAMBUS CHIP KARNATAKA M/S. RAMBUS CHIP TECHNOLOGIES (INDIA) PVT. LTD., 12 FLOOR, TOWER C AND D, IBC KNOWLEDGE PARK, 4/1, BANNERGHATTA ROAD, BANGALORE AACCR8522M PIN CODE 560 083. …RESPONDENT (BY SMT. TANMAYEE RAJKUMAR, ADVOCATE) - 2 - THIS ITA / INCOME TAX APPEAL IS FILED UNDER SEC.260-A OF INCOME TAX ACT 1961, ARISING OUT OF ORDER DATED 10/01/2020 PASSED IN IT(TP)A NO.1029/BANG/2017, FOR THE ASSESSMENT YEAR 2011-2012 PRAYING TO DECIDE THE FOREGOING QUESTION OF LAW AND / OR SUCH OTHER QUESTIONS OF LAW AS MAY BE FORMULATED BY THE HON'BLE COURT AS DEEMED FIT AND SET ASIDE THE APPELLATE ORDER DATED 10/01/2020 PASSED BY THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL, 'C' BENCH, BENGALURU, IN APPEAL PROCEEDINGS IN IT(TP)A NO. 1029/BANG/2017 FOR ASSESSMENT YEAR 2011-2012 (ANNEXURE-A) AS SOUGHT FOR IN THIS APPEAL, AND TO GRANT SUCH OTHER RELIEF AS DEEMED FIT, IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE. THIS APPEAL, COMING ON FOR HEARING, THIS DAY, JUDGMENT WAS DELIVERED THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR JUSTICE S.G.PANDIT and HON'BLE MR JUSTICE C.M. POONACHA ORAL JUDGMENT (PER: HON'BLE MR JUSTICE S.G.PANDIT) Heard the learned counsel Sri. Sanmathi.E.I., for appellants/Revenue and learned counsel Smt.Tanmayee Rajkumar for respondent/assessee. 2. The Revenue is in appeal under Section 260-A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (for short ‘the Act’) questioning the correctness and legality of order dated 10.01.2020 passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, ‘C’ Bench, Bengaluru (for short ‘Appellate Authority’) in IT A.No.1029/Bang/2017 for the assessment year 2011-12. 3. This Court, admitted the appeal on 22.8.2022 to consider the following substantial question of law: "Whether on the facts and circumstances of the case, the Tribunal is right in excluding comparable namely, E-Infochips Ltd on the basis of functional dissimilarity when the Transfer Pricing Officer has chosen the comparable's after application of all the - 4 - tests as prescribed in Rules and ignoring the materials brought on record by Transfer Pricing Officer and as such the order passed by Tribunal is perverse in nature?" 4. Learned counsel for the assessee submits that the tax effect in this appeal is less than Rs.2 Crores and therefore, the appeal should not be entertained at the instance of the revenue in view of the Circular No.09/2024 dated 17.09.2024 issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. It is also submitted that the aforesaid Circular binds the revenue. 5. On the other hand, learned counsel for the revenue submits that he be granted liberty to revive the appeal in case the matter falls within the exceptions under the aforesaid Circular dated 17.09.2024 and Circular No.5/2024 dated 15.03.2024. 6. In view of the aforesaid submissions, the appeal is disposed of with liberty as prayed for by the learned - 5 - NC: 2024:KHC:40083-DBITA No. 83 of 2021 counsel for the revenue. However, the question of law is kept open to be adjudicated in an appropriate proceeding. Sd/- (S.G.PANDIT) JUDGE Sd/- (C.M. POONACHA) JUDGE SMJ List No.: 2 Sl No.: 16