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Issues: (i) Whether the seized notebooks established undeclared outward supplies; (ii) whether suppression with intent to evade tax justified the tax demand and penalty; (iii) whether the liability determined after remand could exceed that determined before the assessee's challenge; (iv) whether service and hearing requirements were satisfied; (v) whether an erroneous reference to the provision governing unregistered persons invalidated the order.
Issue (i): Whether the seized notebooks established undeclared outward supplies.
Analysis: The bound notebooks were recovered from the assessee's business premises alongside records it accepted, contained dated trade entries and were consistent with the proprietor's unretracted admission. Rule 56 provides a rebuttable presumption concerning records maintained by a registered person. The applicable standard was preponderance of probabilities, with facts within special knowledge requiring explanation. Section 155 concerns input tax credit. The absence of an unaccounted purchase or a stock discrepancy was not decisive of whether sales were under-reported.
Conclusion: The notebooks established undeclared outward supplies. The issue was decided against the assessee.
Issue (ii): Whether suppression with intent to evade tax justified the tax demand and penalty.
Analysis: Section 74 requires fraud, wilful misstatement or suppression with intent to evade tax. The relevant circumstances included undeclared sales, parallel sales records, destruction of counterparts, absence of a stock register and sales without invoices during the survey.
Conclusion: Suppression with intent to evade tax justified liability under section 74 and an equal penalty. The issue was decided against the assessee.
Issue (iii): Whether the liability determined after remand could exceed that determined before the assessee's challenge.
Analysis: The fresh determination reduced the original demand and remained within the notice, so the enhancement safeguards in section 107 were not attracted. The principle against reformatio in peius separately protected an appellant from being placed in a worse position following a remand obtained through its own challenge. Interest under section 50 continues to accrue on the tax payable until payment.
Conclusion: Tax and penalty were each limited to Rs.45,00,000. Interest up to 10 September 2024 was capped at Rs.56,70,000, with further interest payable thereafter until payment. The issue was decided in favour of the assessee.
Issue (iv): Whether service and hearing requirements were satisfied.
Analysis: Service on the common portal was supported by the record and followed by reminders. The notice and adjudication order described the seized material, and the assessee participated in an exhibit-wise reconciliation on remand. No prejudice from non-supply of the investigation report or videography was shown.
Conclusion: The objections concerning service and natural justice failed. The issue was decided against the assessee.
Issue (v): Whether an erroneous reference to the provision governing unregistered persons invalidated the order.
Analysis: The proceedings and determination concerned liability under section 74. Section 160 protects proceedings from invalidity for mistakes that do not affect their substance or conformity with the Act.
Conclusion: The erroneous reference did not invalidate the order. The issue was decided against the assessee.
Final Conclusion: Liability for undeclared supplies remains enforceable within the reduced tax, penalty and interest limits determined in accordance with the protection against reformatio in peius.
Ratio Decidendi: An appellant cannot be placed in a worse position by a fresh determination following a remand obtained through its own challenge.
Protection against worsening liability after remand limits tax and penalties arising from undeclared GST supplies.
Protection against a worse position on remand prevents a fresh determination from increasing an appellant's liability following its own challenge, even where the demand remains within the notice and below the original demand. Interest on tax payable continues to accrue until payment. Records maintained by a registered person carry a rebuttable presumption under Rule 56, and undeclared supplies may be established on a balance of probabilities. Undeclared sales and parallel records may support suppression with intent to evade tax under section 74, attracting tax and an equal penalty. Service through the common portal, participation in reconciliation and demonstrated prejudice are relevant to procedural objections. Section 160 protects proceedings from errors that do not affect their substance or conformity with the Act.
Suppressed iron and steel sales - evidentiary burden - Penalty for suppression of outward supplies with intent to evade tax - Reformatio in peius on taxpayer-initiated remand - Service of notice through the GST common portal - Natural justice-non-supply of inquiry material - Curability of clerical errors in GST adjudication Suppressed iron and steel sales - evidentiary burden - Reliance on a trader's own bound sales notebooks to establish and quantify suppressed outward supplies of iron and steel - HELD THAT: - Rule 56(10) raises a rebuttable presumption of maintenance concerning records belonging to a registered person even when found away from its registered premises; the Tribunal applied that presumption with greater force to records found at the appellant's own business address. The Revenue had connected the bound, sequential sales notebooks with the appellant through their contents, custody and the proprietor's unretracted admission. Facts concerning their origin were then within the appellant's special knowledge, and the unsupported attribution to unidentified brokers or transporters did not discharge the evidential onus. Section 155, confined to input tax credit, was inapplicable. On a preponderance of probabilities, these were the appellant's trade records, not unauthenticated third-party papers. A trader's unreported sales did not require matching unaccounted purchases, and absence of a stock discrepancy was inconclusive where no stock register existed. Quantification by the recorded entries, after reconciliation of the other exhibits, rested on material rather than arbitrary estimation. [Paras 8, 9, 10, 11, 13] The notebooks were held to record the appellant's genuine but undeclared sales and constituted sufficient evidence to sustain the demand. Penalty for suppression of outward supplies with intent to evade tax - Invocation of section 74 and equal-tax penalty for deliberate suppression of sales rather than proceedings under section 73 - HELD THAT: - Section 74 requires fraud, wilful misstatement or suppression with intent to evade tax; mere short-payment, bona fide mistake or a difference of interpretation is insufficient. The parallel sales records, destruction of duplicate sales-pad counterparts, non-maintenance of a stock register and sales without tax invoices established conscious non-declaration in the statutory returns. These circumstances proved suppression with intent to evade tax, attracting the statutory penalty equal to the tax rather than treatment as non-fraudulent non-payment under section 73. [Paras 14] Proceedings under section 74 and penalty equal to the tax were upheld. Reformatio in peius on taxpayer-initiated remand - Requirement of an enhancement notice and limits on tax, penalty and interest following remand obtained by the appellant - HELD THAT: - The provisos to section 107(11) were not attracted because, measured against the Order-in-Original, the fresh appellate determination reduced a demand already covered by the notice. Confirmation remained within the notice and on the same grounds, satisfying section 75(7). Nevertheless, applying M/s Saudi Arabian Airlines v. Union of India [2026 (9) TMI 81 - SUPREME COURT] the Tribunal held that an appellant cannot be placed in a worse position by pursuing an appeal. That principle independently governed the remand obtained at the appellant's instance; a direction for fresh, reasoned adjudication did not authorise worsening its position. The earlier appellate determination therefore fixed the ceiling for tax and penalty and for interest accrued up to that determination. Statutory interest on the capped tax accruing thereafter remained payable until payment. [Paras 15, 18] Tax and penalty were limited to the earlier appellate amounts; interest was correspondingly capped up to that order, with further statutory interest payable until payment. Service of notice through the GST common portal - Validity of service of the section 74 notice through the GST common portal - HELD THAT: - Service on the common portal is a valid mode under section 169(1)(d). The record established that the notice had been so served, unlike the authority invoked by the appellant where proof of service was absent. The notice was followed by repeated reminders, and the appellant failed to respond even to a summons. Its own non-participation did not invalidate the statutory service established on record. [Paras 16] The objection that the show-cause notice had not been served was rejected. Natural justice-non-supply of inquiry material - Non-supply of the SIB report and videography as a ground to invalidate the demand despite a full hearing on remand - HELD THAT: - A procedural defect at adjudication does not vitiate a demand where a full hearing on remand has cured it and no prejudice is shown. The notice and original order disclosed the Panchnama and the exhibit contents, and the notice specifically identified the records and entries relied upon. The appellant had neither sought inspection or copies under section 67(5) nor explained how the report or videography could assist its case. The demand rested on its own records and the proprietor's admission, not third-party testimony requiring cross-examination. The participatory, exhibit-wise reconciliation on remand afforded a full hearing and resulted in relief on the other exhibits. [Paras 12, 16] The objections under section 75(4) and natural justice were rejected, and the direction to hear all stakeholders was held to have been complied with. Curability of clerical errors in GST adjudication - Effect of an erroneous reference to section 63 in the preamble of an order adjudicating a registered trader's liability under section 74 - HELD THAT: - The notice, original adjudication and substantive appellate determination all proceeded under section 74, and the appellant's registration was never disputed. The reference to section 63 appeared only in the preamble and was a clerical slip. Under section 160, a mistake, defect or omission does not invalidate a proceeding that is in substance and effect in conformity with the Act. [Paras 17] The erroneous statutory reference did not affect the validity of the impugned order. Final Conclusion: The appeal was dismissed on merits, but the impugned order was modified to preserve the earlier appellate ceilings on tax, penalty and accrued interest, with statutory interest continuing thereafter until payment on the capped tax.