22. Return of income.—¹²[(1) The Income-tax Officer shall, on or before the 1st day of May in each year, give notice, by publication in the press and by publication in the prescribed manner, requiring every person whose total income during the pre vious year exceeded the maximum amount which is not chargeable to income-tax to furnish, within such period not being less than sixty days as may be specified in the notice, a return, in the prescribed form and verified in the prescribed manner, setting forth (along with such other particulars as may be required by the notice) his total income and total world income during that year:

Provided that the Income-tax Officer may in his discretion extend the date for the delivery of the return in the case of any person or class of persons.]

(2) In the case of any person ^{13* *} whose total income is, in the Incortie-tax Officer's opinion, of such an amount as to render such person liable to income-tax, the Income-tax Officer ¹⁴[may serve] a notice upon him requiring him to furnish, within such period, not being less than thirty days, as may be specified in the notice, a return in the prescribed form and verified in the prescribed manner setting forth (along with such other particulars as may be provided for in the notice) his total income ¹⁵[and total world income] during the previous year:

¹⁵[Provided that the Income-tax Officer may in his discretion extend the date for tjie delivery of the return.]

¹⁶[(2A) If any person who has not been served with a notice under sub-section (2) has sustained a loss of profits or gains in any year under the head "Profits and gains of business, profession-or vocation", and such loss or any part thereof would ordinarily have been carried forward under sub-section (2) of section 24, he shall, if he is to be entitled to the benefit of the carry forward of loss in any subsequent assessment, furnish within the time specified in the general notice given under sub-section (1) or within such further time as the Income-tax Officer in any case may allow, all the particulars required under the prescribed form of return of total income and total worla income in the same manner as he would have furnished a return under sub-section (1) had his income exceeded the maximum amount not liable to income-tax in his case, and all the provisions of this Act shall apply as if it were a return under sub-scction (1).]

(3) If any person has not furnished a return within the time allowed by or under sub-section (1) orsub-section (2), or having furnished a return under either of those sub sections, discovers any omission or wrong statement therein, he may furnish a return oi a revised return, as the case may be, at any time before the assessment is made ^{17* *}

(4) The Income-tax Officer may serve ^{18* *} on any person ¹⁹[who has made t return under sub-section (1) or] upon whom a notice has been served under sub-section (2) a notice requiring him, on a date to be therein specified, to produce, or cause to be produced, such accounts or documents as the Income-tax Officer may require, ²⁰[or tr furnish in writing and verified in the prescribed manner information in such form at on such points or matters (including, with the previous approval of the Commissioner a statement of all assets and liabilities not included in the accounts) as the Income-t Officer may require for the purposes of this section]:

Provided that the Income-tax Officer shall not require the production of any accounts relating to a period more than three years prior to the previous year.

²¹[(5) The prescribed form of the returns referred to in sub-sections (1) and (2) shall in the case of an assessee engaged in any business, profession or vocation, require him to furnish particulars of the location and style of the principal place wherein he carries on the business, profession or vocation and of any branches thereof, the names and addresses of his partners, if any, in such business, profession or vocation and the extent of the share of the assessee and the shares of all such partners in the profits of the business, profession or vocation and any branches thereof.