Time-limit for completion of assessment under section 153A.

153B. (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 ⁷³[sub-section (1) 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 :

⁷⁴[Provided that in case of other person referred to in section 153C, the period of limitation for making the assessment or reassessment shall be the period as referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) of this sub-section or one year from the end of the financial year in which books of account or documents or assets seized or requisitioned are handed over under section 153C to the Assessing Officer having jurisdiction over such other person, whichever is later:]

⁷⁵[Provided further that in the case where the last of the authorisations for search under section 132 or for requisition under section 132A was executed during the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2004 or any subsequent financial year,—

               (i)   the provisions of clause (a) or clause (b) of this sub-section shall have effect as if for the words “two years” the words “twenty-one months” had been substituted;

             (ii)   the period of limitation for making the assessment or reassessment in case of other person referred to in section 153C, shall be the period of twenty-one months 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 or nine months from the end of the financial year in which books of account or documents or assets seized or requisitioned are handed over under section 153C to the Assessing Officer having jurisdiction over such other person, whichever is later:]

⁷⁶[Provided also that in case where the last of the authorisations for search under section 132 or for requisition under section 132A was executed during the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2005 or any subsequent financial year and during the course of the proceedings for the assessment or reassessment of total income, a reference under sub-section (1) of section 92CA—

               (i)   was made before the 1st day of June, 2007 but an order under sub-section (3) of section 92CA has not been made before such date; or

             (ii)   is made on or after the 1st day of June, 2007,

the provisions of clause (a) or clause (b) of this sub-section shall, notwithstanding anything contained in clause (i) of the second proviso, have effect as if for the words “two years”, the words “thirty-three months” had been substituted:

Provided also that in case where the last of the authorisations for search under section 132 or for requisition under section 132A was executed during the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2005 or any subsequent financial year and during the course of the proceedings for the assessment or reassessment of total income in case of other person referred to in section 153C, a reference under sub-section (1) of section 92CA—

               (i)   was made before the 1st day of June, 2007 but an order under sub-section (3) of section 92CA has not been made before such date; or

             (ii)   is made on or after the 1st day of June, 2007,

the period of limitation for making the assessment or reassessment in case of such other person shall, notwithstanding anything contained in clause (ii) of the second proviso, be the period of thirty-three months 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 or twenty-one months from the end of the financial year in which books of account or documents or assets seized or requisitioned are handed over under section 153C to the Assessing Officer having jurisdiction over such other person, whichever is later.]

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; ⁷⁷[or]

        ⁷⁷[(v)   the period commencing from the date on which an application is made before the Authority for Advance Rulings under sub-section (1) of section 245Q and ending with the date on which the order rejecting the application is received by the Commissioner under sub-section (3) of section 245R; or

            (vi)   the period commencing from the date on which an application is made before the Authority for Advance Rulings under sub-section (1) of section 245Q and ending with the date on which the advance ruling pronounced by it is received by the Commissioner under sub-section (7) of section 245R; or]

     ⁷⁸[(vii)   the period commencing from the date of annulment of a proceeding or order of assessment or reassessment referred to in sub-section (2) of section 153A till the date of the receipt of the order setting aside the order of such annulment, by the Commissioner,]

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 ⁷⁹[sub-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.