“16. It is to be noted at this juncture that the Settlement Commission is vested with power to reject the Settlement Application at three stages, as provided under Section 245D of the said Act. Rejection at the threshold is contemplated under Section 245D(1). Rejection after notice to the Revenue and on perusing the report filed by the Revenue could be made under Section 245D(2). While rejection under Section 245D(1) is a dismissal at the admission stage, rejection under Section 245D(2) is after notice to the revenue and on being satisfied with non disclosure of true and full undisclosed income. The third stage of rejection is contemplated under Section 245D(4), after directing the Revenue to furnish records and thereafter to conduct an investigation or enquiry. In all these stages, the satisfaction of the Commission with regard to true and full disclosure of income must continue to exist so as to carry over the proceedings from one stage to another and finally, to pass an order determining the terms of settlement as provided under Section 245D (6). In other words, true and full disclosure is the life line, satisfaction of the same should remain to live in the mind of the Commission till the final order is passed. On the other hand, if the Commission finds, at any stage of the proceedings under Section 245D that the applicant has not come before the Commission with clean hands and by disclosing true and full income, it is empowered to reject the application, thereby driving the applicant to face the regular assessment proceedings. The applicant cannot, as a matter of right, seek the Commission to carry over the application from one stage to another, notwithstanding the fact as to whether true and full disclosure of income was made or not. In other words, the applicant who approaches the Commission, bypassing the regular assessment proceedings, must provide material facts without any suppression and establish that the disclosure of income in the application is true and full in its strict sense. Otherwise, the applicant cannot find fault with the Commission in showing him the door to face the regular assessment proceedings. The term "true and full disclosure" does not mean that whatever the
