New Delhi, Sep 28: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the due date for furnishing Return of Income for assessment year (AY) 2026-27 from October 31 to November 21 for persons subject to audit under the Income-tax Act, 1961, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

Accordingly, the ‘specified date’ for furnishing the audit report also stands extended from September 30 to October 21, the statement said.

A formal notification to this effect is being issued separately, the statement added.

The demand for an extension had gathered momentum in recent weeks, with several chartered accountant associations and tax professionals seeking that the deadline be pushed to October 31. Tax professionals had also raised concerns over the time required to complete audit procedures, verify disclosures, and reconcile information available across various tax and financial records.

The extension will give taxpayers and their auditors more time to complete the audit process and furnish the required report on the income-tax e-filing portal and is expected to facilitate the ease of doing business.

Meanwhile, the government’s net direct tax collection has recorded a robust 13 per cent growth to surpass the Rs 12.12 lakh crore mark between April 1 and September 17 of the current financial year compared to the same period of the previous financial year, according to official data.

Gross direct tax collections ⁠rose over 15 per cent year-on-year basis to Rs 14.3 lakh crore during the same period, the figures showed.

Corporate tax mop-up grew 19.48 per cent to about Rs 5.56 lakh crore, while personal income tax and collection from Hindu undivided families increased 6 per cent to over Rs 6.16 lakh crore. Securities Transactions Tax (STT) collection jumped 53 per cent to Rs 40,214 crore between April 1 and September 17 compared to the same period of the previous year.

Refund issuance surged by over 29 per cent to cross Rs 2.2 lakh crore during this period, the data further showed.

Washington, Sep 28: Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the sixth day of a proposed seven-day plan and resume nuclear negotiations with the United States on the seventh, but Washington rejected the proposal because it demanded sanctions relief and access to frozen assets at the outset.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would open the vital shipping passage if the United States ended the conflict, removed its blockade, released Iranian assets and allowed the country to sell oil.

“Our proposal is very clear. We are ready to open the Strait if certain things are done by the US,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

“We want our moneys, our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want, you know, to be able to sell our oil,” he said.

Araghchi said the steps sought by Iran could be completed within four or five days.

“If they want — if they are serious that they want a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, now there is the possibility,” he said. “We have offered this seven-day plan.”

The strait would reopen on day six, with negotiations on a broader agreement beginning the next day, he said.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was rejecting the Iranian offer.

“They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump said. “But we’re winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait.”

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said the proposal required Washington to make extensive concessions before substantive negotiations began.

“They were asking for everything up front,” Waltz told CNN’s “State of the Union”.

Waltz said Iran wanted relief from US and UN sanctions and access to billions of dollars in frozen assets.

“The bottom line is, they were asking for everything up front with a promise that they would then talk,” he said.

Waltz accused Iran of violating an earlier memorandum of understanding by attacking international shipping. Tehran disputes the US account and says Washington violated previous agreements.

“The president’s just not confident that the Iranians are coming in good faith and that we will truly negotiate the end of their nuclear programme,” Waltz said.

Araghchi said Iran was still waiting for an official response delivered through mediators despite Trump’s public rejection.

“At the same time, we are ready for diplomacy,” he said. “But, and now there is a very reasonable plan on the table. If they reject it with no reason, this is their fault.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian separately told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Tehran was prepared to proceed in stages under a framework based on the earlier memorandum.

“Obviously, we will abide by whatever we commit to,” Pezeshkian said.

He also indicated that Iran could negotiate limits and inspections for its nuclear programme but blamed the United States and Israel for attacking Iranian nuclear sites.

“Within the framework of the NPT and the other existing frameworks, all of these issues are matters that can be agreed upon,” Pezeshkian said.

Araghchi said Iran remained prepared for renewed military action while keeping diplomacy available.

“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed,” he said. “But at the same time, we are ready, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”

Mumbai, Sep 28: The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Monday launched massive demonstrations across all district collectorates, demanding the dismissal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The party accused him of undermining democratic institutions and manipulating voter rolls to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Congress leaders described Gyanesh Kumar as a “stain on democracy” and submitted memorandums outlining grievances to district collectors. The protests featured creative forms of dissent: in Amravati, protesters paraded an effigy of the CEC on a donkey before destroying it; in Thane, demonstrators forced an effigy to do sit-ups (uthak-baithak) as punishment.

Large rallies were also held in Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nashik, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Chandrapur, Nanded, Latur, Beed, and across the Konkan and North Maharashtra regions.

Senior Congress leaders led protests in several districts: Satej Patil in Kolhapur, Praniti Shinde in Solapur, Yashomati Thakur and Balwant Wankhede in Amravati, Kalyan Kale in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pratibha Dhanorkar in Chandrapur, Ravindra Chavan in Nanded, Shivaji Kalge in Latur, and Kumar Ketkar in Thane.

Addressing gatherings, the Congress reiterated allegations earlier raised by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, about “vote theft.” The party claimed that over 13 crore voters nationwide, including more than 3 crore in Maharashtra, were arbitrarily removed from electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

It further alleged that 47 lakh untraceable voters were added to Maharashtra’s rolls ahead of the 2024 assembly polls.

Congress spokespersons highlighted reported written dissent from two Election Commissioners over procedural deviations by the CEC, saying it validated their charges of bias. Leaders warned that the agitation would escalate into a national movement unless action were taken against Gyanesh Kumar.