1980 (8) TMI 185 - HC - VAT and Sales Tax

High Court allows secondary evidence in C forms case, emphasizes opportunity to cure defects

Commissioner of Sales Tax, MP Versus Ratlam Straw Board Mills Private Limited

The High Court ruled in favor of the assessee in a case involving the refusal to accept secondary evidence to rectify defects in C forms. The Court held ... - Issues:1. Refusal to accept secondary evidence to remove defects in C forms.2. Competence of the Board of Revenue to direct acceptance of C forms based on secondary evidence.Analysis:The case involved a reference under section 44 of the Madhya Pradesh General Sales Tax Act, 1958, where the Board of Revenue referred questions of law to the High Court for its opinion. The first issue was whether the Commissioner was justified in refusing to accept secondary evidence to rectify defects in the C forms submitted by the assessee, specifically the omission of registration certificate details of purchasing dealers. The second issue was regarding the competence of the Board of Revenue to order acceptance of the C forms based on the secondary evidence provided by the assessee.The facts revealed that the assessee had been assessed to sales tax for a specific period, during which the assessing authority accepted C form declarations despite missing dealer registration details. Subsequently, the Commissioner issued a notice questioning the validity of these declarations due to the missing information. The Commissioner deemed the declarations invalid, leading to an appeal by the assessee to the Board of Revenue, which ultimately directed acceptance of the declarations based on secondary evidence provided.In the legal analysis, it was highlighted that the Full Bench decision of the High Court established that rejecting declarations without giving the dealer an opportunity to rectify defects would be arbitrary and prejudicial. The Court emphasized that the opportunity to cure defects in declarations should be provided to the dealer before rejection. Therefore, it was concluded that the Commissioner erred in not allowing the assessee to present secondary evidence to rectify the defects in the C forms.The Court further determined that the Board of Revenue had the jurisdiction to decide whether the defects in the C forms were cured based on the evidence presented by the assessee. It was acknowledged that the Board's decision on the sufficiency of the evidence to rectify the defects was within its competence. As a result, the Court answered both questions in favor of the assessee, stating that the Commissioner was wrong in refusing the secondary evidence and that the Board of Revenue had the authority to direct acceptance of the C forms.In conclusion, the High Court ruled in favor of the assessee, directing each party to bear their own costs in the reference. The judgment clarified the importance of providing an opportunity to rectify defects in declarations before rejection and affirmed the competence of the Board of Revenue to make decisions based on the evidence presented.