16A. Time limit for completion of assessment and reassessment.

(1) No order of assessment shall be made under section 15 at any time after the expiry of two years from the end of the assessment year in which the gifts were first assessable:

Provided that,

(a) where the gifts were assessable in the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1987, or any earlier assessment year, such assessment may be made on or before the 31st day of March, 1991;

(b) where the gifts were first assessable in the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1988, such assessment may be made on or before the 31st day of March, 1992.

(2) No order of assessment or reassessment shall be made under section 16 after the expiry of two years from the end of the financial year in which the notice under sub-section (1) of that section was served:

Provided that,

(i) where the notice under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 16 was served during the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1985, or the 1st day of April, 1986, such assessment or reassessment may be completed on or before the 31st day of March, 1990;

(ii) where the notice under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 16 relates to the assessment for the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1985, or the 1st day of April, 1986, such assessment or reassessment may be completed on or before the 31st day of March, 1990, or the expiry of two years from the end of the financial year in which such notice was served, whichever is later.

Explanation.---References to section 16 in the proviso shall be construed as references to that section as it stood before its amendment by the Direct Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 1987.

(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-sections (1) and (2), an order of fresh assessment in pursuance of an order passed on or after the 1st day of April, 1975, under section 22, section 23 or section 24, setting aside or cancelling an assessment, may be made at any time before the expiry of two years from the end of the financial year in which the order under section 22 or section 23 is received by the Chief Commissioner or Commissioner or, as the case may be, the order under section 24 is passed by the Commissioner:

Provided that where the order setting aside or cancelling the assessment was passed during the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1985, or the 1st day of April, 1986, the order of fresh assessment may be made on or before the 31st day of March, 1990.

(4) The provisions of sub-sections (1) and (2) shall not apply to the assessment or reassessment made on the assessee in consequence of, or to give effect to, any finding or direction contained in an order under section 22, section 23, section 24, section 26 or section 28 or in an order of any court in a proceeding otherwise than by way of appeal or reference under this Act and such assessment or reassessment may, subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), be completed at any time.

Explanation 1. In computing the period of limitation for the purposes of this section

(i) the time taken in reopening the whole or any part of the proceeding or in giving an opportunity to the assessee to be reheard under the proviso to section 38, or

(ii) the period during which the assessment proceeding is stayed by an order or injunction of any court,

shall be excluded:

Provided that where immediately after the exclusion of the aforesaid time or period, the period of limitation referred to in sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) available to the Assessing Officer for making an order of assessment or reassessment, as the case may be, is less than sixty days, such remaining period shall be extended to sixty days and the aforesaid period of limitation shall be deemed to be extended accordingly.

Explanation 2. Where, by an order referred to in sub-section (4), any gift is excluded from the taxable gifts for an assessment year in respect of an assessee, then, an assessment of such gift for another assessment year shall, for the purposes of sub-section (2) of section 16 and this section, be deemed to be one made in consequence of, or to give effect to, any finding or direction contained in the said order.