Supreme Court Leaves Open Question Whether Customs Can Seize Goods Which Left Port

The Supreme Court recently refused to entertain an appeal against the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (“CESTAT”) view that once goods are cleared from the port, customs authorities lose their power to confiscate them for violations such as non-compliance with license requirements. However, the bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan left open the question whether the Customs Authorities would have a right to confiscate the goods after they had left the PortThe...

Peanut Butter Similar To Margarine; Not Exempt From Excise Duty: CESTAT

The Hyderabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that the Peanut Butter is similar to Margarine in terms of usage, origin, fat content, etc. and therefore not eligible for excise duty exemption. Angad Prasad (Judicial Member) and A.K. Jyotishi (Technical Member) examined whether Peanut Butter could be considered similar to Margarine. If found similar, then it would not be exempt from excise duty; and if not similar, the exemption would...

Can Customs Issue SCN For IGST Recovery? Delhi High Court Issues Notice To Customs & GST Dept; Seeks Joint Affidavit

The Delhi High Court has issued notice in a writ petition against the Show Cause Notice by the Customs Department, instead of the GST Department, for recovery of Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) amounting to about Rs. 5 lakhs from the exporter. The Division Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Shail Jain has listed the matter for February 24, 2026 while observing that “However, insofar as the question as the inter-play between the provisions of the Customs...

Commission Earned By Indenting Agent To Foreign Group Entities Is 'Export Of Services': CESTAT Mumbai Sets Aside ₹2.77 Crore Service Tax Demand

The Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) Mumbai has stated that the commission earned for acting as Indenting agent to its foreign group companies qualifies as 'Export of Services', and therefore is not liable to service tax under the Finance Act, 1994. A Division Bench comprising Member (Judicial) S.K. Mohanty and Member (Technical) M.M. Parthiban set aside the ₹2.77 crore service tax demand (along with interest and penalty) confirmed by the Principal...

Customs Cannot Take Independent View Against CESTAT Classification; Wheat Gluten Eligible For DFIA Exemption: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has held that once CESTAT has classified wheat gluten as eligible for DFIA (Duty-Free Import Authorisation) exemption, Customs authorities are bound by those findings and cannot independently deny the exemption benefits. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh stated that the impugned orders have been passed only on the ground that Wheat Gluten is not covered under the DFIA Licence and, therefore, the assessee is not eligible to claim exemption. If the CESTAT has already...

Reconsidering Cap On Value Of Gold Jewellery Permitted At Airports: CBIC To Delhi High Court

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has informed the Delhi High Court that it is considering increasing the cap on the value of gold that can be carried by a person travelling to India by air.Currently, the Baggage Rules 2016 permit any jewellery of 20 grams with a value cap of Rs. 50,000/- in case of a man and 40 grams with a value cap of Rs. 1,00,000/- in case of a woman to be cleared free of duty.A division bench led by Justice Prathiba M. Singh had earlier highlighted that this...

Customs Act | 'Goods Already Re-Exported Cannot Be Confiscated': CESTAT Mumbai Sets Aside Absolute Confiscation Order

The Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) Mumbai has set aside the absolute confiscation of imported goods ordered by the Commissioner (Appeals), holding that once the goods had already been re-exported prior to the filing of the Revenue appeal, the order for absolute confiscation of goods is not sustainable in law. The Bench of Member (Judicial) Ajay Sharma was hearing an appeal filed by the assessee challenging the Order-in-Appeal passed by the...

Assessee Ineligible For Excise Duty Refund On Ambulances, Neither Manufacturer Nor Buyer U/S 11B(2)(e) Central Excise Act: CESTAT

The Chandigarh Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has stated that the assessee is ineligible for excise duty refund on ambulances, as it is neither a manufacturer nor a buyer under Section 11B(2)(e) Central Excise Act. The bench further noted that the assessee was merely operating the ambulances under a government agreement, which does not make him a manufacturer or buyer. S.S. Garg (Judicial Member) and P. Anjani Kumar (Technical Member) observed...

CESTAT Delhi Quashes Service Tax Demand On Western Geco International's Project Office For Offshore Data Acquisition In Deep Sea

The Principal Bench of Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) at Delhi has set aside service tax demand on offshore seismic survey (data acquisition) by Western Geco International Ltd., Gurugram (project office of Western Geco British Virgin Islands). The Bench comprising of Mr. P.V. Subba Rao (Technical Member) and Ms. Rachna Gupta (Judicial Member) examined if data acquired offshore and processing at the Mumbai project office would constitute two separate...

Amount Deposited Under Protest During Customs Probe Can Be Adjusted Towards Pre-Deposit In Appeal: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that an amount deposited with the Customs under protest, during investigation by the Department, can be adjusted towards pre-deposit to be made when filing appeal against its order.For context, Section 129E of the Customs Act, 1962 requires deposit of 7.5% of the amounts which are in dispute, when filing an appeal before Commissioner (Appeals) or CESTAT.In the case at hand, the Petitioner contended that the amount required for pre-deposit is already fully satisfied...

Service Tax | Once Pre-Deposit Condition Is Fulfilled, Appeal Must Be Heard On Merits: Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand High Court held that once an appeal was dismissed for non-compliance with the mandatory pre-deposit of the Service Tax amount, the Appellate Authority does not become functus officio and was competent to decide the appeal on merits if the mandatory condition of pre-deposit of 7.5% of the Service Tax amount was subsequently complied with by the assessee. A Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice and Justice Rajesh Shankar, stated that the appeal at the earlier occasion...

Customs Brokers Creating Fake Firms Jeopardise Real Exporters: Delhi High Court Forfeits ₹2 Lakh Over Alleged Duty Drawback Fraud

The Delhi High Court has ordered forfeiture of ₹2,00,000/- out of the ₹5 lakh security deposit made by a Customs Broker at the time of obtaining license, citing allegations of duty drawback fraud against it.A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain were dealing with an appeal preferred by the Commissioner of Customs against a CESTAT order, restoring the Respondent-broker's license and setting aside forfeiture of security deposit.The Department claimed that the broker...