Summarize the following court judgment. Appeal No. 136 of 1964. 415 Appeal from the judgment and order dated February 24	 1961 of the Bombay High Court in Misc. Application No. 333 of 1960. A. V. Viswanatha Sastri	 T. A. Ramachandra	 J. B. Dadachanji	 0. C. Mathur and Ravinder Narain	 for the appellant. R. Ganapathy lyer	 R. H. Dheber and R. section Sachthey	 for the respondent. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Sikri	 J. This is an appeal on a certificate granted by the High Court of Bombay against its judgment dated February 24	 1961	 dismissing the petition filed by the appellant under article 226 of the Constitution of India. This appeal raises a short question as to the construction of section 49E of the Indian IncomeTax Act	 1922	 hereinafter referred to as the Act. Before we deal with this question	 it is necessary to set out the relevant facts. The appellant	 at the material time	 carried on business not only in India but also outside India	 i.e. Ceylon	 the former States of Kolhapur and Kapurthala and other places. It is not necessary to give the facts relating to the income in Ceylon and Kolhapur because if the facts relating to the income made in Kapurthala are stated	 these will bring out the real controversy between the appellant and the Revenue. We may mention that it is common ground that the facts relating to Ceylon income and Kolhapur income are substantially similar. On July 9	 1954	 the appellant wrote a letter to the Income Tax Officer	 Companies Circle	 Bombay	 stating that for the assessment year 1949 50	 it was entitled to refund on the income taxed in Kapurthala State. It attached an original certificate for tax showing payment of Rs. 37	828/11/ 	 and requested that a refund order be passed at an early date. On June 27	 1956	 the Income Tax Officer rejected the claim on the ground that the claim filed by the appellant was not within the time limit of four years laid down in r. 5 of Income Tax (Double Taxation Relief) (Indian States) Rules 1939 hereinafter called the Indian States Rules. On December 18	 1956	 the appellant filed a revision	 under section 33A of the Act	 against the said order	 before the Com missioner of Income Tax	 Bombay. The appellant stated in the petition that "unfortunately the Company 's assessment for the year in question was completed by the Income Tax Officer on 416 the last day of the financial year 1953 54	 i.e.	 31 3 1954 being the last date on which their claim for double income tax relief should have been lodged. In absence of the assessment order being received by the Company it was not physically practicable for the assessee to lodge its claim for double income tax relief and as such the time prescribed under Section 50 had already expired when the assessment order was received by the company. " The Commissioner made some enquiries. The appellant	 in its letter dated June 30	 1958	 replied that no provisional claim for double income tax relief was made by the appellant within the time prescribed. The appellant reiterated its own plea that it was not "physically practicable" for the assessee to lodge its claim for double tax relief within the time prescribed. The Commissioner	 however	 rejected the petition. He observed that "the assessment in the Kapurthala State was made on 20 3 1950	 i.e.	 much before the assessment was completed by the Bombay Income tax Officer. Nothing prevented the petitioner	 therefore	 from filing a provisional claim before the period of limitation was over. At least	 it should have made such a claim before the Income Tax Officer at the time of assessment. I regret I cannot condone the delay in filing the claim as there is no provision under Section 50 for such condonation. " The appellant then approached the Central Board of Revenue. The Central Board of Revenue	 by its letter dated December 31	 1958	 declined to interfere in the matter. The appellant did not take any steps to apply to the High Court under article 226 for quashing the above orders of the Commissioner of Income Tax or the Central Board of Revenue. On August 28	 1959	 the Income Tax Officer issued three notices of demand under section 29 of the Act in respect of the Assessment years 1949 50	 1950 51 and 1951 52. The appellant then wrote a letter dated September 4	 1959	 requesting the IncomeTax Officer to set off the refunds to which the appellant was entitled pursuant to the Provisions of Income Tax (Double Taxation Relief) (Ceylon) Rules	 1942	 and read with the provisions of sections 49A and 48 of the Income Tax Act	 in respect of the assessment years 1942 43	 1943 44 and 1944 45	 relating to Ceylon	 and the assessment year 1947 48 and 1949 50 relating to Kolhapur and Kapurthala	 against the said demands. In this letter the appellant gave arguments in support of its request. In short	 the argument was that although the applications claiming those refunds were submitted beyond the prescribed time limit	 nevertheless the appellant had a right still	 pursuant to the the provisions of section 49E	 to call upon the Income Tax Officer to 417 set off the refunds found to be due to the appellant against the tax demands raised by the Income Tax Officer on the appellant. The appellant also approached the Central Board of Revenue	. urging similar points. The Central Board of Revenue	 however	 by its letter dated June 24	 1960	 declined to interfere in the matter. The appellant then on October 7	 1960	 filed a petition under article 226 of the Constitution. After giving the relevant facts and submissions	 the appellant prayed that the High Court be pleased to issue a writ in the nature of Mandamits or a writ	 direction or order under article 226 of the Constitution	 directing the respondents to set off the refunds due to the petitioner under the aforesaid double taxation relief rules against the tax payable by it for the assessment year 1955 56. It appears that in the meantime the petitioner had paid tax for the assessment years 1949 50 and 1950 51	 and the demand for Rs. 89	000.58 for the assessment year 1951 52 was kept in abeyance	 and later when the assessment for 1955 56 was completed	 the Income Tax Officers had agreed to keep in abeyance Rs. 79	430.19 out of the total demand relating to the assessment year 1955 56	 till the decision of the Central Board of Revenue. The second prayer was that the High Court be pleased to issue writs in the nature of Prohibition or other direction or order under article 226 of the Constitution prohibiting the respondents	 their officers	 servants and agents from demanding or recovering from the petitioner the tax payable by it for the assessment year 195556 without first setting off against that tax the refunds due to the petitioner under the aforesaid double tax relief rules. It will be noticed that no prayer was made for quashing the order of the Commissioner	 dated August 23	 1958	 and the order of the Central Board of Revenue dated December 31	 1958. It was indeed contended by Mr. section P. Mehta	 the learned counsel for the appellant before the High Court that the appellant was not challenging the orders of the Income Tax Officer rejecting his application for refund	 but was only challenging the orders made by them rejecting its application for grant of set off. Mr. Viswanatha Sastri	 the learned counsel for the appellant first urged that as compliance with r. 5 of the Indian States Rules	 1939 was physically impossible	 r. 5 did not apply	 and consequently the refund due to the appellant notwithstanding r. 5. But we cannot go into the question whether r. 5 was rightly or wrongly applied by the Income Tax authorities. The 418 orders dated August 23	 1958 and December 31	 1958	 cannot be attacked in these proceedings. Therefore	 we must proceed on the basis that those orders were validly passed. We express no opinion whether the view of the Income Tax authorities that r. 5 was applicable in the circumstances of the case was correct or not. This takes us to the construction of section 49E. Section 49E reads thus : "49E. Power to set off amount of refunds against tax remaining payable. Where under any of the provisions of this Act	 a refund is found to be due to any person	 the Income tax Officer	 Appellant Assistant Commissioner or Commissioner	 as the case may be may	 in lieu of payment of the refund	 set off the amount to be refunded	 or any part of that amount against the tax	 interest or penalty if any	 remaining payable by the person to whom the refund is due. " The High Court held that section 49E of the Act did not give :any assistance to the appellant because	 according to it	 there 	must be prior adjudication in favour of the appellant. The High Court observed that "the expression found to be due" clearly means that there must	 prior to the date set off is claimed	 be an adjudication whereunder an amount is found due by way of refund to the person claiming set off." Mr. Sastri contends that it is not necessary that there should be a prior adjudication to enable a person to claim set off. He says that the Income Tax Officer can decide the question whether refund is due or not when an application for refund is made to him. On the facts	 he says that it is clear that the appellant is entitled to refund under r. 3 of Indian States Rules	 1939	 and the Income Tax Officer has only to calculate the relief due and then set it off. The learned counsel for the respondent	 Mr. Ganapath lyer	 on the other hand	 contends that the orders of the Commissioner and the Central Board of Revenue having become final	 there was no obligation on the Income Tax Officer to make any payment of refund	 and he says that it is a condition precedent to the applicability of section 49E that the Income Tax Officer must be under an obligation to make a payment. He points out that the expression "in lieu of payment of the refund ' clearly indicates that the Income Tax Officer must be under an obligation to make a payment of refund. He further contends 419 that the refund is not due under the Act but under the said Rules	 and therefore	 section 49E does not apply. There is no difficulty in refuting the contention of the learned counsel for the Revenue that the refund	 if due	 was due under the provisions of the Act. Section 59(5) provides that the rules made under this section shall have effect as if enacted under this Act. This provision thus makes the Indian State Rules	 1939	 part of the Act	 and consequently if a refund is due under the Rules	 it would be refund due under the Act within the meaning	 of section 49E. The question then arises as to whether there should be a prior adjudication existing before a set off can be allowed under 49E	 and whether there is any other condition which is necessary to be fulfilled before the section becomes applicable. We are of the opinion that it is not necessary that there should be a prior adjudication before a claim can be allowed under section 49E.There is nothing to debar the Income Tax Officer from determining the question whether a refund is due or not when an application is made to him under section 49E. The words "is found" do not necessarily lead to the conclusion that there must be a prior adjudication. But this is not enough to sustain the claim of the	 appellant. It must 	till show that a refund is due to it. The words "found to be due" in section 49E may possibly cover a case where the claim to refund has been held barred under r. 5 of the Indian State Rules but that this is not the correct meaning is made clear by the expression "in lieu of payment". This expression	 according to us	 connotes that payment is outstanding	 i.e. that there is subsisting obligation on the Income Tax Officer to pay. If a claim to refund is barred by a final order	 it cannot be said that there. is a subsisting obligation to make a payment. The expression "in lieu of" was construed in Stubbs vs Director of Public Prosecutions(1). It was held there that where a liability has to be discharged by	 A in lieu of B	 there must he a binding obligation on B to do it before A can be charged with it. In our opinion	 there must be a subsisting obligation to make the payment of refund before a person is entitled to claim a set off under section 49E. In this case in view of the orders of the Commissioner and the Central Board of Revenue mentioned above there was no subsisting obli gation to pay	 and therefore	 the claim of the appellant must (1) 420 Therefore	 agreeing with the High Court	 we hold that section 49E of the Act is of no assistance to the appellant and that the petition was rightly dismissed by the High Court. The appeal accordingly fails and is dismissed	 but in the circumstances of the case there will be no order as to costs. Appeal dismissed.

The appellant company made a claim under section 5 of the Income tax (Double Taxation Relief) (Indian States) Rules	 1939	 for refund of the income tax paid by it in an Indian State. The claim was rejected by the Income tax Officer as time barred. The Commissioner of Income tax and the Central Board of Revenue refused to interfere and the appellant sought no further legal remedy against their orders. Subsequently on certain tax demands being made by the Income tax Officer	 the appellant made representation that the amounts in respect of which application had earlier been made under r. 5 should be set off against the demand as provided by section 49E of the Indian Income tax Act	 1922. The Income tax authorities having rejected this claim also	 the appellant went to the High Court under article 226 of the Constitution. The High Court held that the expression found to be due" in section 49E clearly meant that there must be	 prior to the claim of set off	 an adjudication whereunder an amount is found due by way of refund to the person claiming set off. Since there was no such adjudication in the appellant 's favour	 the writ petition was dismissed. However a certificate of fitness under article 133(1) (c) was granted to the appellant. HELD : (i) It is not necessary that there should be a prior adjudication before a claim can be allowed under section 49E. There is nothing to debar the Income tax Officer from determining the question whether a refund is due or not when an application is made to him under section 49E. The words "is found" do not necessarily lead to the conclusion that there must be a prior adjudication. [419 D E] (ii) The set off under section 49E must however be "in lieu of payment ' which expression connotes that payment is outstanding i.e. there is a subsisting obligation on the Income tax Officer to pay. If a claim to refund is barred by a final order	 it cannot be said that there is a subsisting obligation to make the payment. [419 F G] Stubbs vs Director of Public Prosecutions 	 relied on. (iii) In the present case the orders of the Commissioner and the Central Board of Revenue rejecting the appellant 's claim under r. 5 of the Indian State Rules had become final. They were not challenged even in the petition under article 226. There was thus no subsisting obligation on the part of the Income tax Officer to make payment to the appellant	 and the claim of the appellant under section 49E must therefore	 fail. [419 G H]