48 New Members to be appointed to ITAT
IT was only recently that we carried a news item in DDT - 2089 titled "ITAT Bar Association boycotts member" and also mentioned -
"The ITAT seems to be in bad shape. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, the oldest Tribunal in India established more than 70 years ago, is today without regular President for the last three years and nearly a third of the sanctioned strength of 146 Members is lying vacant. It will be difficult for an Acting President to effectively manage such a Tribunal.
The Government should bestow more attention at least on the Tax Tribunals, instead of rushing to legislate draconian arrears recovery."
We have some good news on this front.
The Central Government has invited Applications for a total of 48 posts of Judicial Members and Accountant Members in the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and the last date for making the application is 14th June, 2013.
DDT is optimistic that by year-end the vacancies would be filled and we can have the ITAT working at its full strength.
It is also heard that the additional Benches of CESTAT will see the light of the day soon. Most probably the Government would be furnishing a positive report to the Karnataka High Court.