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Time bound adjudication by revenue authorities: A distant dream or plausible reality?

In a tax system as vast and complex as India’s, time-bound adjudication is not merely a procedural ideal, it is also an essential pillar that promotes ease of doing business, upholds taxpayer trust, promotes administrative efficiency, and sustains the integrity of revenue collection. On the other hand, persistence of cases where adjudication lingers for a decade or more raises troubling questions.Continue Reading Time bound adjudication by revenue authorities: A distant dream or plausible reality?

Revolutionising Import Clearance: The 2025 Customs (On-Arrival Movement for Storage and Clearance at Authorised Importer Premises) Regulations, 2025

Background

The government has implemented various measures to promote the growth of India’s manufacturing sector, such as the Production Linked Incentive schemes that were announced for the electronic industry under the Make in India initiative. It has also taken several steps to smoothen and fast track the import process, through digitalisation and faceless assessments. However, some issues remain.Continue Reading Revolutionising Import Clearance: The 2025 Customs (On-Arrival Movement for Storage and Clearance at Authorised Importer Premises) Regulations, 2025

The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India (SC), in the recent case of Steel Authorities of India Ltd.[i], considered the question of admissibility of an appeal, against an order of the Central Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), filed before the SC under Section 130E(b) of the Customs Act, 1962 (Customs Act).

The SC analysed the provisions pertaining to the appellate mechanism laid down under the Customs Act juxtaposed with the role of the SC and its appellate powers, as envisaged under the Constitution of India (Constitution). It concluded that the appellate powers of the SC in relation to appeals filed against orders of the CESTAT are no different from the said powers of SC in case of an appeal against a judgment/ order of the High Court (HC).

Interestingly however, the SC laid down a non-exhaustive list of conditions for determining the admissibility of appeals, against an order of the CESTAT filed before it. They were as follows:Continue Reading Appeal to the Supreme Court: Rights of Admission Reserved