Mentor at SHAYVIDZ Academy
3756 Points
Joined September 2007
Shanti Bhushan v. CIT (2011) 336 ITR 26 (Delhi)
Fact : The assessee was a lawyer by profession. He contended that the heart should be treated as plant as it is used for the purpose of his professional work and expenditure on heart surgery should be allowed as business expenditure either u/s 31 as current repairs to plant or u/s 37 as an expense incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of profession.
Decision : The High Court held that:-
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The expenditure on heart surgery is not allowable as repairs to plant u/s 31 because;
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To allow the heart surgery expenditure as repair expenses to plant, the heart should have been shown as an asset in PY and in earlier years.
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The assessee would face difficulty in arriving at the cost of acquisition of such an asset for showing in his books of account.
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Under sec 43(3), Plant has inclusive definition but the plant must have been used as a business tool which is not true in case of heart. Therefore, the heart cannot be said to be plant for the business or profession of the assessee.
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The claim for allowing the said expenditure u/s 37 is also not tenable because;
As per Sec 37, the said expenditure must be incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of assessee’s profession. Healthy heart will increase the efficiency of human being IN EVERY FIELD including professional work. Therefore, there is NO DIRECT NEXUS between said expenditure and his efficiency in the professional field.