Gujarat high court (File Photo)

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat high court on Monday directed the income tax department to accept I-T return of an advocate without his linking Aadhaar number with PAN.

A division bench ordered the department to accept the return without Aadhaar number because the issue is still pending before the Supreme Court.

According to case details, advocate K R Koshti, who has not obtained Aadhaar card citing privacy issues, filed a petition in the high court. He complained that when he attempted e-filing of ITR, he could not do it because the website demanded linking of Aadhaar number with his PAN.

In his petition, Koshti argued that the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the deadline for linking Aadhaar with PAN till March 31, 2019, but the I-T department keeps on insisting on the same. In absence of any order from the apex court in Aadhaar linkage with PAN, the provisions of Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act cannot be enforced on tax payers for filing of ITR.

After hearing Koshti, the court asked him to file ITR with hard copy of documents and directed the I-T department to accept his ITR.

