Bombay HC notice to AG on plea against faceless appeal in tax cases

The court noted that the matter, raised by the Chamber of Tax Consultants in a writ petition, involves serious questions in law

The Bombay high court on Monday issued a notice to the Attorney General K K Venugopal in a case related to constitutional validity of faceless appeals introduced by the Centre last year.

The high court noted that the matter, raised by the Chamber of Tax Consultants in a writ petition, involves serious questions in law.

It posted the matter for hearing on September 6.

Amit Maheshwari, tax partner at AKM Global, said among several principles of natural justice, the right to being heard is one of the most sacrosanct to a taxpayer to present his case during any matter pending before any judicial authority. “Some issues are difficult to explain by way of written submission," he said.

The government had launched faceless appeals to eliminate the human interface from the first appellate system in the income tax from last year.