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Income‑tax‑

Return‑Statements made in return‑Whether privileged‑Question whether witness had shown particular income in his return‑Whether witness can claim privilege‑Confidential nature of proceedings‑Income‑tax Act, 1961, S. 137‑Civil Pro cedure Code, 1908, O. XI, r. 11‑Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

In the course of proceedings in a civil Court a party can be asked whether he had shown a particular asset or income' in his income‑tax return for a particular year. Section 137(1) of the Income‑tax Act, 1961, is a protection only to public servants against being compelled to disclose the contents of such docu ments as income‑tax returns, and section 137(2) imposes an obligation only on public servants not to reveal such particulars.

One of the interrogatories served on the defendant in a suit was whether he had shown a particular amount in his income‑tax return for a particular year. The defendant declined to answer this question claiming privilege.

Held: That the defendant cannot claim any statutory privilege exempting him from replying to this question and the Court can ask him to answer the question under Order XI, rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code.

Obiter.‑The question whether the plaintiff in order to refute the reply of the defendant by producing the original document can attempt' to procure the original return from the Department is a different matter concerning the obligations and rights of the Income‑tax Department and will have to be dealt with on the provisions of the Income‑tax Act.

Sivagami Achi v. Ramanathan Chettiar (1967) 64 I T R 36 and Velayudham Pillai v. Subramaniam Pillai (1941) 9 I T R 275 ref.

S. K L. Ratan for Petitioner.

P. Muthukrishnan for Respondent.

This revision proceeding involves a point of some interest, with regard to the precise effect of section 1370) and (2) of the Income‑tax Act (43 of 1961), in relation to interrogatories served on a party to a suit under Order XI, Civil Procedure Code. The facts are not in dispute, that the interrogatories included one question whether the respondent to the present proceedings had shown a particular amount in his income‑tax return for a particular year. The respondent declined to answer this question, claiming privilege and the learned fourth assistant Judge of the City Civil Court has upheld the claim of privilege.

I am afraid that the order of the Court below proceeds on a misconception, and that the view taken by the learned Judge is not correct. Privileges of parties to a proceeding generally are to be found in the Indian Evidence Act (I of 1872); particularly 'such ,sections as section 22 which relates to communications during marriage, section 126 relating to bar of disclosure of professional communications of barristers and lawyers, sec tion 124 which concerns official communications, etc. There is nothing in these sections to prevent a person from being asked whether he had shown a particular asset or income in his income tax return for a particular year, or otherwise.

The privilege is sought to be based upon section 1370) and (2) of the Income‑tax Act (43 of 1961), and on certain observation of Mockett, J. in Velayudham Pillai v. Subramania Pillai ((1941)9 I T R 275). When this matter is examined carefully, it will at once be seen that the claim of privilege on behalf of a party to a litigation, in this form, is erroneous and proceeds on a misconception. Section 137(1) is a protection to public servants, in respect of a compelled disclosure of the contents of such documents, as income‑tax returns, and section 137(2) imposes an obligation on the public servant not to reveal such particulars. In Velayudham Pillai v. Subramania Pillai, the plaintiff attempted to compel the defendant to obtain and file certified copies of his income‑tax returns, procuring these copies from the Department and the Court pointed out that, in view of section 54 of the Income‑tax Act as it then was, such compulsion could not be exercised. There is absolutely nothing in section 137 to prevent a party from being ask a question simplieiter whether he had included a particular asset or income in his income‑tax return, or inhibiting a party from replying to such a question. The Bench of Veeraswami, J. and Krishnaswamy Reddy, J. observed in Sivagami Achi v. Ramanathan Chettiar ((1967) 64 I T R 36), that section 137 did not create an obligation, privilege or right. The learned counsel for the revision petitioner brings it to my notice that in the latest Income‑tax Act, section 137 is altogether omitted.

However that might be, the position in law is clear, and this question can be asked of the respondent with perfect validity. The Court can also ask the respondent to reply under .Order X1, rule 11, Civil Procedure Code and he cannot claim that any statutory privilege exempts him from making any reply. But, of course, apart from this, he may choose to make any reply that he pleases. If his reply amounts to a suppression of a material fact within his knowledge, the party concerned can ask the Court to draw a particular inference from that reply. Whether the Court does so or not, depends entirely on the total circumstances, which need not be discussed here. Further, if the respondent chooses to state that he did not include the asset, or declines to reply, and the revision petitioner desires to refute the reply by producing the original document, the question whether the revision petitioner can thus attempt to procure the original return from the Department, is a different matter altogether. That will concern the obligations and rights of the income‑tax authorities and it will have to be dealt with on the provisions of the Income‑tax Act as it stands.

The order of the lower Court is accordingly set aside, and the Court will now further proceed into the matter as laid down under Order XI, Civil Procedure Code. There will be no order as to costs.

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