Interim anti-profiteering relief permits staged payment of principal amount while interest and penalty proceedings remain stayed.

Pending adjudication of the anti-profiteering challenge, the HC adopted an interim balancing approach and directed deposit of the principal profiteered amount in six equal monthly instalments. The related interest component and penalty proceedings were kept in abeyance until further orders. Interim relief was thus granted partly, preserving the substantive challenge while securing staged payment of the principal amount.

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Issues: Whether the petitioner should be directed, at the interim stage, to deposit the principal profiteered amount in instalments and whether the interest component and penalty proceedings should be stayed pending further hearing.

Analysis: The writ petition challenged the anti-profiteering order and the connected DGAP report. Pending adjudication, the Court followed its earlier interim approach in similar matters and balanced the competing interests by requiring deposit of the principal profiteered amount in six equated monthly instalments commencing on 15 October 2020. At the same time, the additional financial consequences flowing from the impugned action, namely the interest amount and penalty proceedings, were kept in abeyance until further orders.

Conclusion: Interim relief was granted in part by permitting payment of the principal amount in instalments and staying the interest and penalty components.

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