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Income-tax Act, 1961 · Chapter XIII: Income-Tax Authorities · C.—Powers

Section 131: Power regarding discovery, production of evidence, etc

The Income-tax Act, 1961 was repealed by the Income-tax Act, 2025 from 1 April 2026. The text is kept here because the judgments below apply it.

In plain words

Income tax authorities have the powers of a civil court for discovery and inspection, summoning and examining persons on oath, compelling production of books and documents, and issuing commissions.

  • Investigation officers may use these powers when they suspect income has been or may be concealed, even if no proceeding is pending.
  • Notified authorities may use them to inquire into matters under tax treaties.
  • Statements recorded under these powers can be used as evidence, though the person may explain or retract them.

A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.

Official text

(1) The [Assessing Officer], [Deputy Commissioner (Appeals)], [,Commissioner (Appeals) [, [Principal Chief Commissioner or Chief Commissioner or [Principal Commissioner or Commissioner] and Dispute Resolution Panel referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (15) of section 144C]] shall, for the purposes of this Act, have the same powers as are vested in a court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), when trying a suit in respect of the following matters, namely:—

(a) discovery and inspection;

(b) enforcing the attendance of any person, including any officer of a banking company and examining him on oath;

(c) compelling the production of books of account and other documents; and

(d) issuing commissions. [(1A) [If the [Principal Director General or Director General] or [Principal Director or Director] or [Joint Director] or [Assistant Director or Deputy Director], or the authorised officer referred to in sub-section (1) of section 132 before he takes action under clauses (i) to (v) of that sub-section,] has reason to suspect that any income has been concealed, or is likely to be concealed, by any person or class of persons, within his jurisdiction, then, for the purposes of making any enquiry or investigation relating thereto, it shall be competent for him to exercise the powers conferred under sub-section (1) on the income-tax authorities referred to in that sub-section, notwithstanding that no proceedings with respect to such person or class of persons are pending before him or any other income-tax authority. [(2) For the purpose of making an inquiry or investigation in respect of any person or class of persons in relation to an agreement referred to in section 90 or section 90A, it shall be competent for any income-tax authority not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Income-tax, as may be notified by the Board in this behalf, to exercise the powers conferred under sub-section (1) on the income-tax authorities referred to in that sub-section, notwithstanding that no proceedings with respect to such person or class of persons are pending before it or any other income-tax authority.]

(3) Subject to any rules made in this behalf, any authority referred to in sub-section (1) [or sub-section (1A)] [or sub-section (2)] may impound and retain in its custody for such period as it thinks fit any books of account or other documents produced before it in any proceeding under this Act:

Provided that [an [Assessing Officer] or an [Assistant Director or Deputy Director]] shall not—

(a) impound any books of account or other documents without recording his reasons for so doing, or

(b) retain in his custody any such books or documents for a period exceeding fifteen days (exclusive of holidays) without obtaining the approval of [ the [Principal Chief Commissioner or Chief Commissioner] or [Principal Director General or Director General] or [Principal Commissioner or Commissioner ]or [Principal Director or Director] therefor, as the case may be.]

Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Supreme Court judgments citing the section 131