Insertion of new sections 153A, 153B and 153C.

65. After section 153 of the Income-tax Act, the following sec­tions shall be inserted  with effect from the 1st day of June, 2003, namely :—

‘153A. Assessment in case of search or requisition.—Notwith­standing anything contained in section 139, section 147, section 148, section 149, section 151 and section 153, in the case of a person where a search is initiated under section 132 or books of account, other documents or any assets are requisitioned under section 132A after the 31st day of May, 2003, the Assessing Officer shall—

         (a )  issue notice to such person requiring him to furnish within such period, as may be specified in the notice, the return of income in respect of each assessment year falling within six assessment years referred to in clause (b), in the prescribed form and verified in the prescribed manner and setting forth such other particulars as may be prescribed and the provisions of this Act shall, so far as may be, apply accordingly as if such return were a return required to be furnished under section 139;

         (b )  assess or reassess the total income of six assessment years immediately preceding the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which such search is conducted or requisition is made :

Provided that the Assessing Officer shall assess or reassess the total income in respect of each assessment year falling within such six assessment years:

Provided further that assessment or reassessment, if any, relat­ing to any assessment year falling within the period of six assessment years referred to in this section pending on the date of initiation of the search under section 132 or making of requi­sition under section 132A, as the case may be, shall abate.

Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that,—

          (i )  save as otherwise provided in this section, section 153B and section 153C, all other provisions of this Act shall apply to the assessment made under this section;

         (ii )  in an assessment or reassessment made in respect of an assessment year under this section, the tax shall be chargeable at the rate or rates as applicable to such assessment year.

153B. Time-limit for completion of assessment under section 153A.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in section 153, the Assessing Officer shall make an order of assessment or reassess­ment,—

         (a )  in respect of each assessment year falling within six assessment years referred to in clause (b) of section 153A, within a period of two years from the end of the financial year in which the last of the authorisations for search under section 132 or for requisition under section 132A was executed;

         (b )  in respect of the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which search is conducted under section 132 or requisition is made under section 132A, within a period of two years from the end of the financial year in which the last of the authorisations for search under section 132 or for requisition under section 132A was executed.

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

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

         (ii )  the period commencing from the day on which the Assess­ing Officer directs the assessee to get his accounts audited under sub-section (2A) of section 142 and ending on the day on which the assessee is required to furnish a report of such audit under that sub-section; or

        (iii )  the time taken in reopening the whole or any part of the proceeding or in giving an opportunity to the assessee of being re-heard under the proviso to section 129; or

         (iv )  in a case where an application made before the Settle­ment Commission under section 245C is rejected by it or is not allowed to be proceeded with by it, the period commencing from the date on which such application is made and ending with the date on which the order under sub-section (1) of section 245D is received by the Commissioner under sub-section (2) of that sec­tion,

shall be excluded:

Provided that where immediately after the exclusion of the afore­said period, the period of limitation referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) of this section 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.

(2) The authorisation referred to in clause (a) and clause (b) of sub-section (1) shall be deemed to have been executed,—

         (a )  in the case of search, on the conclusion of search as recorded in the last panchnama drawn in relation to any person in whose case the warrant of authorisation has been issued;

         (b )  in the case of requisition under section 132A, on the actual receipt of the books of account or other documents or assets by the Authorised Officer.

153C.  Assessment of income of any other person.—Notwithstanding anything contained in section 139, section 147, section 148, section 149, section 151 and section 153, where the Assessing Officer is satisfied that any money, bullion, jewellery or other valuable article or thing or books of account or documents seized or requisitioned belongs or belong to a person other than the person referred to in section 153A, then the books of account or documents or assets seized or requisitioned shall be handed over to the Assessing Officer having jurisdiction over such other person and that Assessing Officer shall proceed against each such other person and issue such other person notice and assess or reassess income of such other person in accordance with the provisions of section 153A.’.