More than 7 cr ITRs filed till evening; netizens complain glitches in efiling portal
New Delhi (PTI): The Income Tax Department on Monday said more than 7 crore I-T returns have been filed till evening on Monday as the filing deadline closes in, amid netizens complaining of glitches in the I-T department portal for e-filing and advance tax payment.
The e-filing portal faced a huge traffic on Monday which is the last date for filing ITRs for AY 2025-26. Also, Monday is the last date for payment of the second quarterly instalment of advance tax for the ongoing fiscal year.
Late on Monday evening, the income tax department shared a guide on resolving browser issues for ITR filers. These steps usually resolve most local access-related difficulties, the department said.
"Having difficulty accessing the Income Tax e-Filing Portal? Sometimes, access difficulties with the Income Tax e-Filing Portal may arise due to local system/browser settings. These simple steps often help resolve such issues," it said in a post on X.
However, ITR filers continued to face glitches even after following these steps.
"More than 7 crore ITRs have been filed so far and still counting (15th September)," the department had said in a X post in the evening, and urged all those who haven't filed ITR for AY 2025-26, to file their returns.
The last date to file ITRs without penalty is September 15 for income earned in 2024-25 fiscal. Last year, 7.28 crore ITRs were filed till July 31 due date. A number of chartered accountants and individuals have taken to social media over the past couple of days claiming that the I-T portal is facing glitches while making tax payment and downloading AIS (Annual Information Statement).
On Monday, netizens even complained that they were unable to log in to the e-fling portal. Some also complained of inability to pay advance tax for the July- September quarter.
In a post on X on September 14, the department had termed "fake" a statement of extension of deadline, and asked taxpayers to only rely on official updates on @IncomeTaxIndia.
"The due date for filing ITRs remains 15.09.2025," it said.
Replying to a post which claimed that there were issues in uploading ITR and tax payment, the department earlier in the day had said, "The e-filing portal is working fine. Please clear your browser cache or try accessing the portal through a different browser". It also asked people to share their details (along with PAN and mobile number) to e-mail id orm@cpc.incometax.gov.in.
On September 14, the I-T department had replied to users claiming issues with downloading AIS/TIS saying: "The AIS/TIS facility is functioning without any issues. May we request you to please try accessing it again. In case you continue to face difficulties, please share your details (along with your mobile number & public IP address) with us at cmcpc_support@insight.gov.in."
The department had in May announced an extension of the due date for filing ITRs for Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26 (for income earned in financial year 2024-25) by individuals, HUFs and entities who do not have to get their accounts audited from July 31 to September 15.
The extension was on account of "structural and content revisions" in the income tax return (ITR) forms, which was notified in late April and early May. The changes made in the ITR form for AY 2025-26 also need modifications to be made in ITR filing utilities and the back-end system.
ITR filings have shown consistent growth over the years, reflecting rising compliance and widening of the tax base. For AY 2024-25, a record 7.28 crore ITRs were filed up to July 31, 2024, compared to 6.77 crore for AY 2023-24, registering a 7.5 per cent year-on-year growth.
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Ordinance issued to increase number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38
New Delhi (PTI): The government has promulgated an ordinance to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from the present 34 judges to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.
The law ministry notified the ordinance on Saturday, which amended the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the sanctioned strength of the top court.
So far, the sanctioned strength of the top court was 34, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Now, the number of judges has been increased by four, taking the sanctioned strength to 38.
The top court will now have 37 judges, other than the CJI.
With the apex court having two vacancies at present, and the ordinance coming into force immediately, the Supreme Court Collegium will now have to recommend six names for appointment as judges in the top court.
A bill will be brought in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to convert the ordinance – an executive order – into a law passed by Parliament.
The Union Cabinet had cleared a draft bill on May 5 to increase the number of apex court judges.
The strength of the Supreme Court was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the CJI) in 2019.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, as originally enacted in 1956, put the maximum number of judges (excluding the CJI) at 10.
This number was increased to 13 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges), Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 by another amendment to the law.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986, augmented the strength of judges from 17 to 25, excluding the CJI.
A fresh amendment in 2009 further increased the strength from 25 to 30.
Article 124(3) of the Constitution lists the qualifications required to become a Supreme Court judge.
An Indian citizen who has either served as a high court judge for at least five years, or as an advocate for 10 years, or is a distinguished jurist, can be appointed to the top court.
The strength of the Supreme Court is increased based on the recommendations of the CJI, who writes to the Union law minister. After consulting the finance ministry, the Department of Justice under the law ministry moves the Cabinet with a draft bill.
