Mangaluru: The Bengaluru Bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) will hold Circuit Bench sittings in Mangaluru from January 30 to February 3 to dispose of income tax appeals pending before the Bench from Mangaluru region.

“This is aimed at taking the adjudication process to the doorsteps of litigants,” Sunil Kumar Yadav, senior Member of ITAT, Bengaluru, said.

Speaking to presspersons after scouting for venues for the Circuit Bench sittings here on Wednesday, he said that about 120 appeals were pending from Mangaluru region before the Bengaluru Bench.

The Circuit Bench sittings would be inaugurated by ITAT president Devadarshan Sood, a former High Court judge, on January 30.

The Bench had held circuit sittings at Mysuru last week and disposed of 56 appeals. “If the response is encouraging from Mangaluru region, more sittings will be conducted,” Mr. Yadav said.

Similar approach would be adopted towards other major centres in Karnataka, including Dharwad, he added.

While an average of 2,000 appeals are filed before the Bengaluru Bench against the orders passed by the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) every year, about 5,000 appeals are still pending before the Bench. Most of them were filed after 2011, Mr. Yadav said adding the tribunal was making attempts to expedite disposal of appeals. Over one lakh appeals are pending at the national level, most of which are at Mumbai, followed by Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru, he added.

Mr. Yadav said he along with accountant member Inturi Rama Rao inspected SDM College of Law, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India building and the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry building to conduct the sittings.

The venue would be decided later, he said. He said KCCI and ICAI have willingly come forward to assist the Tribunal to conduct the sittings.

Mr. Rao and KCCI president Jeevan Saldanha were present.