Finality of settlement under Kar Vivad Samadhan Scheme bars reopening for refund of interest paid.

A refund of interest paid under the Kar Vivad Samadhan Scheme, 1998 was held not maintainable after the dispute had been settled and concluded under the statutory scheme. The settlement was treated as final, so neither party could reopen the closed matter to seek additional monetary relief. On that basis, the refund claim was rejected and the appeal dismissal was upheld.

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Issues: Whether refund of interest paid pursuant to a settlement under the Kar Vivad Samadhan Scheme, 1998 could be claimed after the dispute had been settled and closed.

Analysis: The claim arose only after the parties had settled the entire dispute under a statutory scheme. Once a dispute is concluded under such a scheme, the settlement attains finality and neither side can reopen the matter to claim further monetary relief. On that basis, the refund claim for interest paid in the course of settlement was not maintainable.

Conclusion: The refund claim was rejected and the dismissal of the appeal was upheld.

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