CGST Act | Gauhati High Court Reads Down S.16(2)(aa); Says ITC Can't Be Denied To Bona Fide Buyer For Supplier's Default

The Gauhati High Court has held that Input Tax Credit (ITC) cannot be denied to a bona fide purchaser merely because the supplier failed to upload invoice details in Form GSTR-1, and has read down Section 16(2)(aa) of the CGST Act and AGST Act to protect genuine taxpayers. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury disposed of a writ petition filed by the assessee, M/s McLeod Russel India Limited, holding that while the provision itself is...

S.62 CGST Act | Filing Pending Returns Automatically Withdraws Best-Judgment Assessment: Andhra Pradesh High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has held that a best judgment assessment passed under Section 62 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 stands deemed withdrawn once the registered dealer files the pending returns along with payment of tax and applicable late fee, even if such returns are filed beyond the initially prescribed period. A Division Bench comprising Justice R. Raghunandan Rao and Justice T.C.D. Sekhar was hearing a batch of writ petitions filed by the assessee,...

Madras HC Quashes SCNs Against Apollo Tyres & MRF; Says S.74 GST Act Cannot Be Invoked When Tax Was Paid Voluntarily

The Madras High Court has quashed Show Cause Notices issued to Apollo Tyres Limited and MRF Limited alleging wrongful availment of Input Tax Credit (ITC) for the composite supply of Tyres, Tubes and Flaps (TFF) since tax difference was paid voluntarily. In twin judgments dated November 28,2025, Justice Krishnan Ramasamy examined if Show Cause Notice had fulfilled the ingredients of Section 74 to hold that payment deferred due to confusion prevailing confusion in the industry regarding...

GST Demand Cannot Exceed Amount Mentioned In Show Cause Notice: J&K&L High Court

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has held that a tax demand under GST cannot exceed the amount mentioned in the show cause notice and that doing so violates basic principles of fairness. The Division Bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Sanjay Parihar set aside a GST demand raised against a goods transport agency (GTA), after finding that the final demand was much higher than what was proposed in the original notice. The Goods Transport Agency challenged a show...

Delhi High Court Cautions GST Dept Against Errors In Mentioning Financial Years, Due Dates In SCNs & Orders

The Delhi High Court has asked the GST Department to exercise caution when mentioning financial year, other relevant dates in the show cause notices and orders issued by it to a taxpayer.A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Renu Bhatnagar sounded the note of caution after coming across a case where the authority inadvertently mentioned the due date for filing reply to the show cause notice issued to the Petitioner as 28th August, 2025, instead of 28th August, 2024. The impugned...

'GST Is Fiscal Compliance, Not Regulatory Exemption': J&K High Court Says Brick Dealers Still Need Licence Under Brick Kiln Act

The Jammu & Kashmir High Court has upheld the validity of the Jammu and Kashmir Brick Kiln (Regulation) Act, 2010 and the 2017 Rules, ruling that the regulatory framework applies not only to manufacturers but also to brick dealers, rejecting challenges raised by multiple petitioners.The High Court rejected the plea that GST registration obviated the licensing requirement under the Brick Kiln Act, stating, “GST registration pertains to fiscal compliance… the Brick Kiln Act is a regulatory...

Gujarat High Court Quashes GST Orders For Failure To Intimate Personal Hearing; Says Assessee Must Be Notified Before Final Order

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday (December 3) quashed order issued to entity for failing to intimate about personal hearing, which had claimed that after notice of GST DRC-01 was issued to it, the authority did not intimate the date and time of personal hearing which was against principles of natural justice. In doing so the court said while issuing DRC-01 it would not be mandatory to incorporate the date and time of personal hearing; however once subsequent proceedings progress, but...

CGST | Dept Must First Proceed Against Supplier Before Issuing Show Cause To Recipient For ITC Mismatch: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that the department cannot proceed against a recipient for ITC mismatch without first initiating proceedings against the supplier. Section 42(3) of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, 2017, deals with the communication of discrepancies in Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims between the recipient and the supplier. Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. observed that no proceedings had been initiated against the suppliers before the issuance of notice under...

Pre-SCN Consultation Serves No Purpose In Large-Scale GST Fraud Cases Involving Complex Transactions: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has observed that pre-SCN Consultative Notice prima facie serves no purpose in large-scale GST fraud cases involving multiple entities and a complex maze of transactions.Pre-SCN consultation was mandatory under Rule 142 (1A) of the Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017. It prescribed that a proper officer shall, before service of notice to the person chargeable with tax, communicate the details of any tax, interest and penalty as ascertained by the said officer.However, a 2022...

Delhi High Court Restores Trader's GST Registration After 3-Year Delay; Says Medical Issue, Dispute With CA Justified Relief

In a rare instance of relief, the Delhi High Court has directed the GST Department to restore the registration of a trader, cancelled over three years ago, citing the medical issues and dispute with the Chartered Accountant which prevented it from acting earlier.Section 107 of the GST Act prescribes a strict timeline of three months to prefer an appeal from an order of the GST Department, which is extendable by one more month.Thus, a maximum of four months exists for a trader to challenge orders...

Delhi High Court Pulls Up GST Authority For Issuing Personal Hearing Notice Saying Assessee's Attendance Not Needed

The Delhi High Court recently criticised the GST Authorities for issuing a “strange” personal hearing notice to an assessee, which said that the assessee need not attend the hearing as the notice is issued only for the purpose of uploading final order.“The personal hearing notice is also quite strange to say the least that no personal hearing was granted before the Commissioner Appeals but a hearing was fixed for uploading of the order. Such a practice is inexplicable and deserves to be...

Delhi High Court Allows Consolidated Appeal Against Single GST Demand Order Covering Multiple Financial Years

The Delhi High Court has allowed the filing of a consolidated appeal in a matter where a 'common and single' order was issued, although the demand pertained to multiple financial years. In an order dated November 18, 2025, the Division Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Shail Jain allowed the Petitioner to take recourse to a single consolidated appeal against consolidated GST demands raised via one order while stating that whether Section 74 was correctly invoked...