1. The petitioner, Bosch Limited is a limited company and assessed under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The controversy involved in the present case is that the assessee company applied for approval to the competent authority-respondent 1 in terms of S.35 (2AB) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) for approval of the in-house research and development facility and also to approve the expenditure incurred by the petitioner company for such research and development work on the basis of which the petitioner company would be entitled to claim the weighted deduction at the specified rate against its income for the relevant year under the aforesaid provisions of the Act.
2. Though the research and development facility were duly approved by the 1st respondent, Mr R. R. Abhyankar, Scientist G for and on behalf of the Secretary Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi vide Annexure A dated 13.8.2009, but in the prescribed approval for expenditure vide Annexure C in Form 3CL given by the successor-in-office on 20.1.2014 by Mr K V S P Rao, Scientist G of the same Department, the total research and development expenditure (including land and building) for two R & D Units, was approved by the said authority to the extent of Rs.6855.52 lakhs for the Assessment Year 2011-12 (as against Rs. 6915.18 lakhs claimed by the assessee) and Rs. 3842.88 lakhs (as against Rs.3898.39 lakhs claimed by the assessee) for the Assessment Year 2012-13.
3. The assessee filed a representation to the said Department vide Annexure F on 4.3.2015 that the assessee found certain differences on the amount of expenditure as claimed by the assessee as the amount of expenditure entitled for approval and deduction under S.35(2AB) of the Act and the amount approved by the said authority, and that as inquired by them over telephone and as orally communicated to them, though no such reason for deduction was assigned in writing in the impugned order Annexure C dated 20.1.2015 and therefore, the assessee company was of the belief that the capital expenditure other than land and building (motor vehicles) and recurring expenses (salary and wages) paid to the trainees and apprentices was the amount of difference in the aforesaid two assessment years to the extent of Rs.59.69 lakhs for the Assessment Year 2011-12 and Rs.55.51 lakhs for the Assessment Year 2012-13. The assessee, therefore, requested the said respondent No.1 authority to reconsider the approval for the reduced amount under the order impugned and to revise the same upwardly on the basis of the amount of R & D expenditure actually incurred by them. Since such revision of the amount was not made by the respondent authority, the petitioner company has filed the present writ petition before this Court.
4. Mr. K P Kumar, learned Senior counsel for the petitioner assessee urged that the determination of the amount of R & D expenditure by the 1st respondent was done in the impugned order - Annexure C dated 20.1.2014 without giving any prior show cause notice to the petitioner assessee and also without giving an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner assessee and secondly, the alleged reasons, as orally informed to the petitioner company, for the reduction of the said R & D expenditure was on account of cost of motor vehicles of different brands purchased by the petitioner company to test the original equipments supplied by the petitioner company to those auto manufacturing companies to test as to whether the parts and components supplied by the petitioner company were working properly or not and secondly, on account of the salary and wages paid to the trainees and apprentices were no good ground for making any such reduction of R & D expenditure for the purpose of S.35 (2AB) of the Act and therefore, a direction deserves to be issued to the respondent to revise the said approval of expenditure and revise the same upwardly to the extent claimed by the petitioner assessee.
5. On the other hand, Mr Jeevan Neeralgi, learned counsel for the Revenue submitted that it is true that no reasons as such were assigned in writing in the impugned communication annexure C Form 3CL itself for the amount of R & D expenditure approved by the said authority, but the aforesaid reasons were narrated in the said writ petition and controverted in the reply filed on behalf of the respondents and the same are justifiable reasons. Learned counsel, also urged that the purchase cost of motor vehicles cannot be construed to be R & D expenditure and likewise, the salary and wages paid to the trainees and apprentices while they are temporarily working in the said company and are not regular employees of the said company, cannot be held to be a part of the R & D expenses and therefore, the assessee would not be entitled to deduction under S.35 (2AB) of the Act of the said expenditure and thus, the impugned order deserves to be sustained.
6. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties at some length and perused the record.
7. The provisions of S.35(2AB) which provides for a weighted deduction under Chapter IV of the Income Tax Act, 1961 in respect of 'Expenditure on Scientific Research' to promote such research by the industry is reproduced below for ready reference.
"S:35(2AB) (1)
Where a company engaged in the business of biotechnology or in any business of manufacture or production of any article or thing, not being an article or thing specified in the list of the Eleventh Schedule incurs any expenditure on scientific research (not being expenditure in the nature of cost of any land or building), on in-house research and development facility as approved by the prescribed authority, then, there shall be allowed a deduction of a sum equal to two times of the expenditure."
8. It is not in dispute before this Court that the petitioner company had undertaken the research work and had spent certain amount during the relevant assessment years on scientific research, not being the capital expenditure in the nature of land and building and the conditions for availing deduction under this provision were satisfied by the assessee, which would be clear from the approval given by the 1st respondent himself in the prescribed Form 3CL - Annexure A dated 13.8.2009 and Annexure B dated 24.8.2012 and such R & D facilities were approved by the said authority - Scientist G of the DSIR.
9. In the present case, the only dispute which arose for consideration by this Court is about the quantum of such expenditure during these two relevant Assessment Years. It is apparent from a bare perusal of the impugned order Annexure C in prescribed Form 3CL that no detailed discussion about the reasons for determining the amount of R & D expenditure has been given, comparing the same with the claim of the petitioner assessee in this regard. It is only after this approval was given on 20.1.2014 that the assessee found that the amount approved is somewhat less than the amount of expenditure claimed by it and thus tallying the same with its claim, the assessee made a representation vide Annexure F dated 4.3.2015. The two reasons for the reduction of the said amount were as indicated above namely, the cost of motor vehicles purchased for testing the parts and the salary and wages paid to the trainees and apprentices.
10. Chapter IV of the Income Tax Act deals with computation of income under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and Part D relates to 'Profits and gains of business or profession'. In that Part D of Chapter IV, S.35 provides for 'Expenditure on Scientific Research' and S.35 (2AB) gives a weighted deduction of the amount of expenditure incurred by the assessee for in-house research and development as approved by the prescribed authority who is the Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, is allowed while computing the income under the head Profits & Gains from business.
11. Obviously, the purpose of giving this weighted deduction under this provision is to encourage scientific research by the manufacturing units. The weighted deduction, as per the provisions now existing, is to the extent of two times of the expenditure actually incurred by the assessee on such scientific research. Therefore, obviously any reduction in the amount approved for the purpose of this provision is likely to have a double effect on the taxability of profits and gains of the assessee company. Undisputably before reducing the amount of R & D expenditure for these two Assessment Years in question i.e., 2011-12 and 2012-13 to the extent of Rs.59.69 lakhs and 55.51 lakhs respectively, the said respondent Secretary did not give any prior show cause notice and an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner assessee as to why these two amounts under two different heads namely, cost of purchase of motor vehicles and salary and wages of the trainees and apprentices, be not disallowed from the category of 'approved expenditure on scientific research'. Thus, the assessee was deprived of its valuable right of hearing and rebut and controvert the case against him on the basis of which, the said respondent Secretary passed the impugned order approving the expenditure for scientific research as required under the provisions of S.35 (2AB) of the Act at a reduced level. Had such a notice been given by the said authority to the assessee company, perhaps the assessee company could have satisfied the said authority about the genuineness of the claim and rational nexus of these expenses relatable to the scientific research undertaken by it entitling it for claiming the weighted deduction in respect of these expenses also under the category of approved expenditure for scientific research under S.35(2AB) of the Act.
12. The impugned order is thus clearly hit by the vice of non-compliance of the principles of natural justice oraudi alterm partem, the applicability of which even to the taxing statute cannot be ruled out. The competent authority passed this order under these provisions certainly exercising a quasi-judicial function when he passed this order approving the expenditure incurred by the assessee on scientific research. No such unilateral action or determination could have been taken by the respondent Secretary particularly when he chose to reduce the amount of expenditure incurred on scientific research as against the amount claimed by the assessee, to the detriment of the assessee company resulting in an adverse double tax effect as per the provisions of the Act.
13. Be that as it may, this Court would not like to pronounce upon the includibility of these expenses in the head of 'approved expenditure for scientific research' at this stage and it is considered appropriate that the 1st respondent Secretary himself is allowed to reconsider the case on these issues after allowing a reasonable opportunity of hearing to the assessee in this regard. It is needless to say that the assessee would be entitled to make out its case for such aforesaid inclusion of these expenses in the category of approved expenditure on scientific research and rely upon all relevant material and case laws, if any, in this regard before the said respondent Secretary.
14. The assessee may, in the first instance, appear before the said authority for this purpose on 6th June, 2016 and it is expected from the 1st respondent to pass appropriate, speaking order dealing with all the contentions raised by the assessee in this regard, within a period of six months from today. It is needless to add that in case any adverse order is passed against the assessee company by the 1st respondent Secretary or the competent authority in DSIR, the assessee company would be free to avail further legal remedies in accordance with law.
15. With the above observations and directions, both the writ petitions are finally disposed of at this stage. No order as to costs. Copy of this order be supplied to the parties forthwith.