Advance rent – premium for agreement to lease.

On facts “advance rent” received by the assessee from the lessee being the consideration for being let into possession of the leased premises as evident from the report of the assessee’s council of Management and the terms of the lease, it was in fact a premium rather than advance rent and constituted the assessee’s income; leasing out of commercial spaces by the assessee cannot be regarded as sale of properties as the assessee was only a lessee of the land which belonged to the Govt. and it was not even entitled to sell the construction put up on the land. Constituted the assessee’s income. (A.Y. 1989 – 90 & 90 – 91)
M. Visvesvaraya Industrial Research and Development Centre v. CIT (2012) 79 DTR 387(Bom.) (High
Court)