2018 (4) TMI 807 – ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT – 2018 (16) G. S. T. L. 602 (All.) – Seizure of goods alongwith vehicle – inter-state supply – genuine and original T.D.F. Form not present – section 129(3) of the U.P. GST Act 2017 – Held that: – on the relevant date i.e. 17.12.2017 there was no requirement of carrying T.D.F. Form-1 in the case of an inter-State supply of goods. In fact on the relevant date there was no prescription of the documents to be carried in this regard under Rule 138 of the C.G.S.T. Act 2017, accordingly, the seizure and penalty imposed upon the petitioners based on the notification dated 21.7.2017 issued under Rule 138 of the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017, which was not applicable, is clearly illegal.
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Cross-empowerment under section 4 of I.G.S.T. Act 2017 and section 6 of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 merely means that State Authorities empowered under the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017 can also enforce the provisions of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 or I.G.S.T. Act 2017, but it does not mean that they can
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ed by Sri Rahul Shukla, learned Addl. Chief Standing Counsel appearing for the State, on the ground of availability of a statutory remedy of appeal before the Addl. Commissioner, Grade II (Appeal) under section 107 of the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017, however, Sri Pradeep Agarwal, learned counsel for the petitioner responded by submitting that the very basis for the impugned action i.e. Rule 138 of U.P.G.S.T. Rules 2017 and the notification issued by the State Government thereunder as also section 129 of U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017 was apparently inapplicable, therefore, the preliminary objection is not tenable. The facts of the case in brief are that 220 pieces of Chocholate Display Cooler of M/s Voltas Ltd. were being transported from Pant Nagar, Rudrapur, Uddham Singh Nagar, State of Uttarakhand to Radiant Enterprises, Megaflex Plastic Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, with Tax Invoice No.117351003728, a copy of which is annexed as Annexure-1 and 2 to the writ petition. It is said that Integrated Goods an
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ce Pvt. Ltd. on 3.1.2018, thereafter, an order under section 129(3) for payment of tax and penalty under clause (b) of section 129(1) was passed by the proper officer. The contention of Sri Pradeep Agarwal, learned counsel for the petitioners was that the petitioner no.1 was retained by M/s T.V.S. Logistics Service Pvt. Ltd. for transporting the goods in question, when the aforesaid incident occurred. The contention was that the transaction was one of inter-State supply of goods, therefore, it was covered by the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 (hereinafter referred as ''I.G.S.T. Act 2017') and as per section 20 (xv) thereof, in matters of inspection, search, seizure and arrest, provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 (hereinafter referred ''C.G.S.T. Act 2017') were applicable. As per section 68 of the C.G.S.T. Act 2017, inter alia, Government may require, the person in charge of a conveyance carrying any consignment of goods of value
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hat the driver was an uneducated person and at the time of entry of the vehicle in the State of U.P. at Rampur under a misconception he got a T.D.F. Form downloaded from a cyber-cafe, which contained some incorrect details on account of lapse on the part of Cyber Cafe Owner, but there was no mala fide at all in this regard. In fact, the T.D.F. Form was not required to be carried as it was an inter-state supply of goods. He invited our attention to paragraph 16 to 22 and 25 of the writ petition. On the other hand, Sri Rahul Shukla, learned Addl. C.S.C. appearing for the State contended that under section 6 of the C.G.S.T. Act 2017 there was a provision for cross empowerment of the State Authorities under the State Goods and Services Tax Act to function as ''proper officers' for the purposes of the C.G.S.T. Act also. Likewise a similar provision existed in the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017. Furthermore he contended that both the Acts being applicable and there being a notification date
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n the Union and the States in the manner as may be provided by Parliament by law on the recommendations of the Goods and Service Tax council. Import within the territory of India was included within the meaning of the term "Inter-State Trade or Commerce" and in respect of it tax, as aforesaid, would be levied and collected by the Government of India. In pursuance to the aforesaid 101st Amendment of the Constitution three enactments were passed by the Parliament, i.e. the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act 2017; the Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017; the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 (hereinafter referred as ''U.T.G.S.T. Act'). In addition to the aforesaid three enactments, the Legislature of the State of Uttar Pradesh passed an enactment known as the ''U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017'. In matters of inter-State Trade and Commerce including import into the territory of India and out of it, the I.G.S.T. Act 2017 applies, whereas, in matter
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ct 2017' the provisions of ''C.G.S.T. Act 2017' apply in respect of matters covered by the I.G.S.T. Act 2017 on the subject of inspection, search, seizure and arrest. Chapter XIV of the C.G.S.T. Act 2017 deals with inspection, search, seizure and arrest. While section 67 of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 deals with the power of inspection, search and seizure, section 68 deals with inspection of goods in movement and it is this provision with which we are primarily concerned. It reads as under: "68. Inspection of goods in movement (1) The Government may require the person in charge of a conveyance carrying any consignment of goods of value exceeding such amount as may be specified to carry with him such documents and such devices as may be prescribed. (2) The details of documents required to be carried under sub-section (1) shall be validated in such manner as may be prescribed. (3) Where any conveyance referred to in sub-section (1) is intercepted by the proper officer at any p
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E-way bill System which is to be developed by the G.S.T. Council and it provides for an interim arrangement by the Government till an E-way Bill System is so developed and approved. The words "Government" used therein is defined in section 2(53) of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 to mean the "Central Government". It is not in dispute that on the date of interception of the vehicle in question E-way Bill System had not been developed, therefore, the documents which were required to be carried during movement of any consignment of goods were those which may have been notified by the Central Government under Rule 138 of the C.G.S.T. Rules 2017, as, by virtue of section 20(xv) thereof, it is this rule which is applicable to matters pertaining to I.G.S.T. Act 2017. Neither the State of U.P. nor the Government of India has brought on record any such notification which may have been issued prescribing the relevant documents to be carried in the course of such movement as is referred in
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other Rules have been incorporated in this regard. These amendments are to come into force from a date to be specified by the Central Government. Be that as it may, the fact of the matter is that on the date of incident i.e. 17.12.2017 neither there was any E-way Bill System nor any notification by the Central Government under Rule 138 of the C.G.S.T. Rules 2017 requiring the carrying of a T.D.F. Form or any other such document in the course of inter-State supply/movement of goods, as such, the very basis for passing the impugned orders and taking action against the petitioner as impugned herein is apparently erroneous and illegal. In view of the above it cannot be said that there was any intent to evade tax. As regards the contention of Sri Rahul Shukla, based on the notification issued under Rule 138 of the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017, no doubt the said notification also takes into consideration the requirement of carrying documents i.e. T.D.F. Form-1, in respect of inter-State movements of
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was no prescription of the documents to be carried in this regard under Rule 138 of the C.G.S.T. Act 2017, accordingly, the seizure and penalty imposed upon the petitioners based on the notification dated 21.7.2017 issued under Rule 138 of the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017, which was not applicable, is clearly illegal. Cross-empowerment under section 4 of I.G.S.T. Act 2017 and section 6 of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 merely means that State Authorities empowered under the U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017 can also enforce the provisions of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 or I.G.S.T. Act 2017, but it does not mean that they can apply the provisions of U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017 or Rules made thereunder to cases of inter-State trade in violation of section 20(xv) of I.G.S.T. Act 2017. It does not mean that the State Government can issue a notification under Rule 138 of U.P.G.S.T. Rules made under U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017 to prescribe documents to be carried in an inter-state supply of goods and services regarding which only the Central Government
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s involved in inter-state supply. Here the question is whether petitioner was required to carry T.D.F. Form I or not, which we have answered in the negative. As regards the provisions of section 129 U.P.G.S.T. Act 2017 under which the impugned action has been taken, the same is not applicable to an inter-State trade or commerce. By virtue of section 20 of the I.G.S.T. Act 2017 it is section 129 of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 that would apply, but this is not the ground on which we are invalidating the impugned action, as, if it is traceable to the aforesaid provision of C.G.S.T. Act 2017 which is pari materia to the State Act, then mere wrong mentioning of a provision would be too technical a ground for interference. We are invalidating the action on account of absence of any notification by the Central Government under Rule 138 of C.G.S.T. Rules 2017 and in view of incorrect application of notification issued by the State Government under Rule 138 of U.P.G.S.T. Rules. We are supported in our vi
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ods in the course of interstate trade is conferred on the Central Government, the Central Government has, till date, not notified the documents that have to be carried by a transporter of the goods in the course of interstate movement. Under the said circumstances, and finding that neither the State Legislature nor the State Government would have the power to make laws/rules to govern interstate movement of goods in the course of trade, and for the purposes of levy of tax, I am of the view that detention in Ext.P.5, for the sole reason that the transportation was not accompanied by the prescribed documents under the IGST Act/CGST Act/CGST Rules, cannot be legally sustained. I therefore, allow the writ petition by making the interim order absolute." Furthermore, we find that alongwith the consignment of goods the driver was carrying an invoice which mentioned that the goods were being taken from the State of Uttarakhand to the State of West Bengal, therefore, as of now, it was an i
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