Case: M. A. Jabbar Vs. Commissioner Of Income-Tax, Andhra Pradesh,Hyderabad

1. The appellant assessee, who is an individual, carries on business of supplying lime and sand. With the object of procuring sand, he obtained a leave under a lease-deed dated Ist February, 1954, from the then Govermnent of State of Hyderabad. The terms of this lease, which are relevant for the purpose of deciding these appeals, will he indicated later. At this stage, it may, be mentioned that, under this lease, the assessee was required to pay a sum of Rs 82,500/- as lease money to the Government. The period of lease was found 1st February, 1954 to 31ist December, 1954. The assessees account year ends with the last day of September each year. The assessee paid a sum of Rs. 56,100/- in respect of the account year ended 30th September 1954 for the assessment year 1955-56 and another sum of Rs. 26,400/ for the account year ended 30th September, 1955 relevant to the assessment year 1956-57. Both these payments were claimed by the assessee, in the proceedings for assessment to income-tax, as revenue expenditure. The Income-tax Officer held that, under the lease-deed, the assessee had secured a right to quarry sand from the river-bed, which was a right in the nature of a capital assets, so that these payments made to secure the right were capital expenditure, and disallowed their deduction as revenue expenditure. The assessee appealed to the Appellate Assistant Commissioner. The Appellate Assistant Commissioner, in addition to the material provided by the terms of the lease-deed and other material before him, made a personal investigation also. Thereafter, in his appellate order, he recorded findings that the lease was a short-term contract for one year, that the contract was for removal of sand lying on the surface of the river-beds within a specified period, and no excavation or skilful extraction was involved in the process, and that no interest in the land was conveyed to the lessee, and, if the lessee discovered any minerals not specified in the deed, he was required to report that fact to the Director of Mines and obtain a prospecting licence separately. On these facts, he held that what the assessee had secured under the lease-deed was only stock-in-trade of his business and not a capital asset, so that his claim that the payments made by him under the lease-deed to the Government were deductible as revenue expenditure was allowed. Thereupon, an appeal was brought before the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal by the Department. The Tribunal upheld the order of the Appellate Assistant Commissioner. At the instance of the Department, the Tribunal then referred the following question for opinion to the High Court :-Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the payments of Rs. 56,100 for the assessment year 1955-56 and Rs. 26.400 for the assessment year 1956-57 made under the lease deed dated 1-2, were expenditure of revenue nature ?The High Court answered the question in the negative, accepting the case of the Department, and thus upsetting the decision given by the Appellate Assistant Commissioner and the Tribunal. The assessee has now come up to this Court in appeal by certificate granted by the High Court.

Court's reasoning:
It appears to us that, on the language of the lease-deed, this submission cannot be accepted. The lease specifically mentions in para 3 that, under it, the Government do hereby demise and grant unto the lessee exclusive lease and liberty to enter, occupy, and use for quarrying purpose and to raise, render marketable, carry away, sell and dispose of sand within or under or upon the lands specified in this lease and for the period named therein. Thus, there was a specific provision that the lessee was to have an exclusive right to enter and occupy the land. Further, was a provision that, in case any mineral not specified in the lease was discovered in this land, the lessee was to report such discovery to the Director of Mines and Geology and could obtain either a prospecting licence or a mining lease in respect of it, but, if he intimated his intention of not working the newly discovered mineral, or failed to give any intimation to work it within the period of three months, it would be open to the Government to sublet the working of such newly discovered mineral. This use of the word sublet in the deed indicates that, though the Government reserved to it the right to allow some other person to work the newly discovered mineral, that person could only be admitted as a sub-lessee and, obviously, he would be the sub-lessee under the assessee.These terms do indicate that an interest in land was also conveyed by the lease; but that is, in our opinion, not decisive of the question whether the money payable under the lease was a capital expenditure or a revenue expenditure. As an example, if a shop is taken on rent by a person to run his business and he pays monthly or annual rent, he certainly acquires an interest in the building and the land on which it stands as a lessee, but no one will contend that the payment of rent would be an expenditure of a capital nature and not revenue expenditure. The decisive factor is the object with which the lease is taken and the nature of the payment which is being made when obtaining the lease3. In the present case, there are a number of factors which lead to the conclusion that the expenditure incurred by the assessee in obtaining the lease was revenue expenditure for the purpose of obtaining stock-in-trade and not capital expenditure. The first point is that the lease was for a very short period of 11 months only. Consequently, it is clear that the assessee did not obtain any capital asset of an enduring nature by obtaining this lease. Then the second circumstance is that the sole right which was acquired by him under the lease-deed was to take away the sand lying on the leased land. No doubt, the document mentioned that he was entitled to raise render marketable, carry away, sell and dispose of the sand within or under or upon the land specified in this lease; but there was a clear finding of fact recorded by the Appellate Assistant Commissioner and affirmed by the Tribunal that all the sand that could be removed was lying on the surface and there was no question of raising, digging or excavating for the sand before obtaining it. No operations were, therefore, to be performed on the land itself. It appears that the High Court, in giving its decision against the assessee, fell into an error in not accepting the finding of fact that the sand was lying loose on the surface and the contract was only for removal of that sand and, instead, recording for itself a different finding. In examining this question of fact it is clear that the High Court exceeded its jurisdiction. The finding of fact recorded by the Appellate Assistant Commissioner had been affirmed by the Tribunal and no question was referred to the High Court that it was a finding which was based on no evidenceThis circumstance that the sand was lying loose and merely required removal without any excavation or digging makes it clear that what the assessee was taking under the lease for the purpose of his business was the right to remove that sand and that he was not acquiring the land or any other rights in the land for any other purpose. Then there is the additional fact that the lease was for a very short period of 11 months. On these facts, the conclusion was irresistible that, in agreeing to pay this large sum of Rs. 82,500. the assesses was bargaining for the right to remove the sand lying loose on the land within that short period of 11 months to the extent to which he could do so. He did not acquire any fixed or capital asset of an enduring nature by obtaining this lease and all he had in view was to have the right to obtain his stock-in-trade in the form of sand. We do not consider it necessary to refer to those cases, because the question whether a particular expenditure is of a capital nature or is a revenue expenditure has always to be decided on the special facts of each caseIn the case before us, the facts are much stronger in favour of the assessee. The period of lease is shorter and the only object of the lease is to remove sand lying loose on the surface, without exercising any other right on the land included in the leaseClearly, in the present case, the expenditure incurred by the assessee was not related to the acquisition of an asset or a right of a permanent character. It was for the specific object of enabling the assessee to remove and lying loose on the surface which was the stock-in-trade of the business of the assessee, so that the expenditure has to be regarded as revenue expenditureIt is clear that, in the present case, there is no such reservation of an exclusive right in respect of any land. In fact, the first sentence in the quotation above is clearly applicable to the present case if, for the word clay, the word sand is substituted.The present is a case where sand lying loose on the surface of the land is to be removed and the whole object of the lease was to obtain the right to the sand which was to be the stock-in-trade of the assessee4. During the course of arguments before us, a number of cases were brought to our notice which related to quarrying leases of various types in India and in. We do not consider it necessary to refer to those cases, because the question whether a particular expenditure is of a capital nature or is a revenue expenditure has always to be decided on the special facts of each. We may, however, make a reference to the decision of this Court in Gotan Lime Syndicate v. Commissioner of9 ITR 718 = (AIR 1966 SC 1564  ). In that case also, Rule 13 of the Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1955, which was applicable, provided that the lease shall be in respect of plots comprising of 5 square miles each. The lessee was even entitled to transfer his lease or any right, title or interest therein to a person holding a certificate of approval on payment of a fee, subject to the previous sanction of the Director of Mines and Geology, and subject to some other conditions. Rule 18 prescribed a period of 5 years for a lease and the lease was renewable at the option of the assessee for a further period of five years. Even on these facts, this Court held that the lessee in that case, in obtaining the lease and paying lease money, had not incurred an expenditure of a capital nature, and was entitled to claim that the lease money paid by him was a revenue expenditure. In that case also, thus, the lease was in respect of plots, so that interest in land was conveyed, but the Court, on considering the object of the lease and the manner in winch the rights under it were to be exercised, came to the finding that no capital expenditure was involved and that the only right acquired was the right to obtain raw material from the leased land. The payment was not for securing an enduring advantage.In the case before us, the facts are much stronger in favour of the assessee. The period of lease is shorter and the only object of the lease is to remove sand lying loose on the surface, without exercising any other right on the land included in the