Partial Immunity Under Section 271AAA: Supreme Court Clarifies Interpretation of “Found in the Course of Search”

1. Introduction

This commentary addresses the Supreme Court of India's Judgment in K. Krishnamurthy v. Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (2025 INSC 208), decided on February 13, 2025. The case centers on the imposition of penalty under Section 271AAA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“the Act”), after a search and seizure operation. The Appellant, Mr. K. Krishnamurthy, challenged the penalty orders pertaining to Assessment Years (AYs) 2010–2011 and 2011–2012.

The principal issue revolves around whether the entire amount declared by the Appellant as part of his returned income can be subjected to a 10% penalty under Section 271AAA or whether immunity (as envisaged under Section 271AAA(2)) applies in part. The Supreme Court’s decision sets out when an amount is deemed “undisclosed income,” clarifies the scope of “specified previous year,” and elaborates on how “found in the course of search” should be interpreted.

Parties involved include the Appellant, Mr. Krishnamurthy, and the Respondent, the Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT). The Respondent had imposed penalties after determining that certain income had not been fully disclosed or explained during the course of a search, leading to disputes addressed at multiple appellate levels. Ultimately, the High Court of Karnataka ruled against the Appellant, and the matter was taken before the Supreme Court, resulting in the decision summarized and analyzed here.

2. Summary of the Judgment

The Supreme Court’s key holding is twofold. First, it exempts part of the Appellant’s undisclosed income (Rs. 2,27,65,580) from penalty under Section 271AAA(1) because it met all the conditions under Section 271AAA(2), namely that the income was admitted in the search proceedings and tax plus interest was ultimately paid. Second, it imposes penalty at the rate of 10% on the remaining sum of Rs. 2,49,90,000, which had not been admitted during the course of search but emerged through investigation prompted by the search.

The Court highlights that “found in the course of search” is not limited to documents physically located on the Appellant’s premises but may include any document or affirmation arising from or discovered due to the search operation (even from third parties). Consequently, it rejects the Appellant’s argument that only evidence physically recovered from his premises can instigate penalty. Furthermore, the Court underscores that Section 271AAA(1) is not mandatory, as the Assessing Officer retains discretion, but that discretion must be judiciously exercised in accordance with law.

3. Analysis

a) Precedents Cited

The Judgment cites two important strands of case law:

Ajay Kumar Sood Engineers (ITAT Chandigarh Bench), which emphasizes that the burden of proving undisclosed income exists rests on the Assessing Officer. The Court notes that to invoke penalty, the AO must show how documents “found” in search concretely establish undisclosed income.
PCIT v. Amul Gabrani (Delhi High Court), affirmed by the Supreme Court in a Special Leave Petition, which insists on strict adherence to Section 271AAA(2) conditions if an assessee seeks immunity from the penalty. The Supreme Court in this case cites it to underline that the assessee must meet all statutory requirements, including timely payment of tax and declaratory statements, to claim the benefit of exemption.

Additional references mention Dilip N. Shroff v. CIT (2007) 6 SCC 329, underscoring that not all impositions of penalty are automatic. Instead, there must be a reasoned analysis of the assessee’s conduct and whether the statutory elements are satisfied.

b) Legal Reasoning

The Court’s reasoning proceeds from a textual interpretation of Section 271AAA and its three significant elements:

Subsection 1: Discretionary Penalty. The phrase “The Assessing Officer may…” indicates that the penalty is not mandatory. Instead, the AO must determine whether the conditions for penalty have been satisfied in the “specified previous year” when undisclosed income is found.
Subsection 2: Conditions for Immunity. The assessee escapes liability for the 10% penalty if three conditions are met: (i) disclosure in statement during the search under Section 132(4), (ii) substantiation as to how the income was derived, and (iii) payment of all tax and interest due on the disclosed income.
Definitions in the Explanation. The Court clarifies the interpretation of “undisclosed income” and “specified previous year.” The scope of “found in the course of search” is deemed broad, referencing subsequent or collateral discoveries resulting directly from the initial search.

Applying these principles, the Court distinguished between the portion of income of Rs. 2,27,65,580 that was properly disclosed and subjected to eventual payment of dues and the remaining undisclosed income that was discovered during the assessment proceedings triggered by the search. Because the latter income (Rs. 2,49,90,000) was brought to light only upon further investigation—and not disclosed during the search—the Appellant could not claim immunity for that sum.

c) Impact

This decision will have significant implications for search-and-seizure proceedings under the Act. First, it confirms that an assessee may partially escape penalty if some components of undisclosed income are fully declared and taxes plus interest are paid on time—even if the entire array of the assessee’s income is not properly disclosed at the outset. However, in line with the Court’s broad interpretation of “found in the course of search,” revenue authorities may rely on additional third-party documentation—retrieved in pursuit of leads from an initial search— to establish additional undisclosed income.

Essentially, this Judgment clarifies that the net of “search-based discovery” is wide. It places a higher onus on taxpayers to ensure they make complete and timely disclosures during search proceedings if they hope to avoid the penalty altogether.

4. Complex Concepts Simplified

“Specified Previous Year”: Under Section 271AAA, the previous year in which the search took place or a preceding year where the return filing date under Section 139(1) had not expired as on the date of search can be the specified previous year. In this case, AY 2011–2012 became the specified previous year because the Appellant had already missed the filing date for AY 2010–2011 by the time of the November 25, 2010 search.

“Undisclosed Income”: The statutory definition includes any money, document, or article discovered in the search, which was not earlier reflected in the books or revealed to the tax authorities. A crucial point is that the undisclosed income must be directly or indirectly traceable to the search. The Court teaches us that location is not the sole determining factor; what ultimately matters is that the search (and its follow-up investigation) led to unearthing the hidden income.

Conditions for Avoiding Penalty: Three essential conditions must be satisfied to escape penalty: an admission of undisclosed income during the search, substantiation of how that income was derived, and payment of tax plus interest on it. If any of these prongs is not met, the taxpayer remains liable for a 10% penalty under Section 271AAA.

5. Conclusion

This Supreme Court Judgment clarifies that while Section 271AAA(1) imposes a 10% penalty on undisclosed income, it is not automatically triggered for every rupee ultimately assessed. The assessing officer holds discretionary power, guided by the statutory definitions and conditions under Subsection (2). In the instant case, penalty was waived on the portion of the income (Rs. 2.27 crores) which was properly declared during the search proceedings, but applied to the balance (Rs. 2.49 crores) only uncovered during further investigations related to that same search.

Going forward, taxpayers subject to a search should be fully transparent and pay any tax liability swiftly to claim immunity from penalty. Simultaneously, revenue authorities gain a broader net to uncover undisclosed income, not only from evidence found physically within the searched premises but also from subsequent discoveries occasioned by the initial search. This decision has thus reshaped the interpretation of “search” and underscored the critical importance of complete, truthful disclosures in a timely manner under Section 271AAA.