S. 153C Income Tax Act | Public Info, Unrelated Data Seized From Searched Person Not Enough To Issue Show Cause Notice: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court has observed that information available in public domain or any unrelated information seized from the searched person without a connection to the assessee is not enough to be the basis of issuing a show cause notice under Section 153C of the Income Tax Act. The court was hearing a plea challenging notice dated 13.10.2021 by the Assessing Officer (AO) for the Assessment Years (AY) 2014-15 to 2020-21 issued to the petitioner.A search under Section 132 of the Act was...

Income Tax Act | S. 153C Proceedings Unsustainable Without Incriminating Material Found In Search: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has held that proceedings under Section 153C of the Income Tax Act cannot be initiated unless incriminating material relating to the assessee is found during a search and both the assessing officers (the Assessing Officer of the searched person as well as the Assessing Officer of the person other than the searched person) record the necessary satisfaction.Section 153C of the Income Tax Act contains a special provision relating to the assessment of 'other person', pursuant...

Admission Solutions By TC Global To Foreign Universities Not 'Intermediary Service': Delhi High Court Upholds CESTAT Order

The Delhi High Court has held that TC Global, operating as an App-based platform offering admission support solutions like promotional and marketing services, advertisements, roadshows, fairs, counselling to foreign universities, against payment in foreign exchange would qualify as 'Export of Service' instead of 'Intermediary Service'. In a judgment dated November 28, 2025, the Division Bench, comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Renu Bhatnagar affirmed CESTAT Delhi order...

No Recommendation To Bring Aviation Fuel Under GST, Clarifies Civil Aviation Minister; Highlights Price Reduction Efforts

The Centre in response to tax treatment of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), has clarified that the GST Council, in which the states are also represented, has not made any recommendation for inclusion of ATF under GST.As for taxation on ATF, the Centre put forth that issue of high Value Added Tax (VAT) levy on ATF ranging from 0% to 29% in some States and Union Territories was addressed, resulting in reduction of VAT by 21 States and Union Territories. The Centre pointed out that under the Regional...

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...

Sales Tax Discharged At NPV Under State Incentive Scheme Not Addable To Transaction Value For Excise Duty: CESTAT Mumbai

The Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), Mumbai has held that sales tax deferred under a State incentive scheme and later discharged at Net Present Value (NPV) cannot be treated as “sales tax not paid” for the purpose of including it in the transaction value for levy of Central Excise duty. A Division Bench of C.J. Mathew (Technical Member) and Ajay Sharma (Judicial Member) allowed the appeal filed by the assessee and set aside the demand raised under Section...

Revisional Power U/S 263 Income Tax Act Cannot Be Upheld By Tribunal On Grounds Not Taken By Commissioner: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that a tribunal cannot travel beyond the grounds not cited by the commissioner while exercising jurisdiction under Section 263 Income Tax Act.Justices A. Muhamed Mustaque and Harisankar V. Menon stated that only one reason was highlighted by the Commissioner for exercising the power under Section 263 of the Act and the Tribunal having found the said reason as not a valid one, the Tribunal should have stopped there rather than making further observations as regards...

Customs Can't Make Passengers/Lawyers Sign Waiver Of SCN Or Hearing At Goods Appraisement Stage: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has made it clear that the Customs Department cannot make a passenger or his lawyer sign an undertaking for waiver of show cause notice or personal hearing, when they appear for appraisement of seized articles.A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Renu Bhatnagar made the observation while dealing with an NRI's plea, whose gold chain was seized by the Customs on his arrival from Saudi Arabia.The Petitioner contended that neither any SCN was issued not personal...

Centre Defends GST Hike On Coal, Says It Cuts Power Generation Cost By 17–18 Paise/Unit

The Centre in response to estimated impact of GST reforms on domestic coal producers and import substitution, has clarified that by increasing GST rate on coal from 5% to 18%, the inverted duty structure has been corrected.“GST has rationalized the tax burden across various coal grades, as the previous GST regime led to higher effective tax incidence on low grade coal and low priced coal.”Pursuant to the 56th GST Council Meeting, GST Compensation Cess of Rs. 400 per tonne on coal has been...

DGFT Allows Personal Carriage Of Gems & Jewellery Parcels Through Ahmedabad Airport Under FTP 2023

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has amended Paragraphs 4.87(a) and 4.88 of the Handbook of Procedures (HBP) 2023 under the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023. The amendment now allows import and export of gems and jewellery parcels for personal carriage through Ahmedabad Airport, in addition to the previously listed international airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaipur.The procedure...

Delhi High Court Imposes Costs On Party For Misrepresenting New Gold Jewellery As 'Old'; Orders Release Subject To Payment Of Duty

The Delhi High Court has imposed costs on two Petitioners who falsely claimed that their old gold jewellery was seized by the Customs Department upon their arrival from Dubai.On production of the gold items before it, a division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Renu Bhatnagar observed,“it is clear that the gold items are not used gold jewellery of the Petitioners, and the same are absolutely brand new jewellery, which is stated to have been purchased by the Petitioners in Dubai and were...

Extended Limitation Cannot Be Invoked Without Proof Of Intent To Evade: CESTAT Delhi Sets Aside Service Tax Demand On Car Parking Charges

The Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), Principal Bench, New Delhi has held that the extended period of limitation under the proviso to Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994 cannot be invoked in the absence of clear evidence of suppression of facts with intent to evade service tax. A Division Bench comprising Justice Dilip Gupta (President) and P.V. Subba Rao (Technical Member) allowed the appeal against the order of Commissioner(appeals) filed by the...