Chandigarh, Sept. 14 -- The Punjab and Haryana High Court has struck down the newly inserted Section 147A of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which retrospectively sought to clarify the role of Jurisdictional Assessing Officers (JAOs) in reassessment proceedings.

A bench of Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Rupinderjit Chahal pronounced the decision on Monday. A detailed order is awaited.

Section 147A was introduced retrospectively from April 1, 2021, providing that for the purposes of Sections 148 and 148A, the term 'Assessing Officer' would mean an Assessing Officer other than the National Faceless Assessment Centre.

Ruling Reopens JAO-FAO Dispute

The provision was introduced amid the long-running JAO-FAO controversy over whether reassessme...