Relevant industry under sales tax exemption notification means manufacturers of the same goods, confirming partial exemption for white cement.

The expression "relevant industry" in the 6 May 1986 exemption notification under section 8(5) of the Central Sales Tax Act was construed in its common parlance sense as the industry manufacturing the same goods as the assessee. Applying that interpretation, the comparison for computing the average percentage had to be made only with white cement manufacturers, not with portland or grey cement manufacturers. As the Division Bench view in the assessee's own case had already been affirmed by the Supreme Court, the authorities were bound to follow it, and the assessee was entitled to partial exemption under the notification.

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Issues: Whether the assessee was entitled to partial exemption under the notification dated 6 May 1986 issued under section 8(5) of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, and whether the expression "relevant industry" in that notification had to be confined to white cement manufacturers or could extend to other cement manufacturers.

Analysis: The binding Division Bench decision in the assessee's own case had already construed "relevant industry" in its common parlance sense, namely the industry manufacturing the same goods as those manufactured by the assessee. On that approach, the comparison for computing the average percentage had to be made only with other white cement manufacturers and not with manufacturers of portland or grey cement. Since that decision had been affirmed by the Supreme Court, the authorities below were bound to apply the same interpretation for the present assessment year.

Conclusion: The assessee was entitled to the benefit of the notification, and the assessing authority was required to compute partial exemption only by reference to white cement manufacturers, excluding portland and grey cement manufacturers.

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