2000 (7) TMI 354 - AT - Central Excise

Court sets aside orders for lack of natural justice, emphasizes procedural fairness

The judgment focused on addressing violations of natural justice by the lower appellate authority, particularly in passing orders without personal ... Appeal before Commissioner (Appeals) - Stay application Issues:1. Violation of principles of natural justice in passing orders without affording personal hearing.2. Non-speaking orders passed by the lower appellate authority.3. Challenge against the order of rejection of appeal based on non-compliance with pre-deposit requirements.4. Setting aside of orders dated 1-10-1999 and 27-1-2000.5. Directions for the Commissioner (Appeals) to reconsider the stay application and subsequent application for reconsideration, and to dispose of the appeal within 3 months.Analysis:1. The judgment addressed the issue of violation of principles of natural justice due to the lower appellate authority passing orders without providing a personal hearing to the appellants. It was noted that the order dated 1-10-1999, rejecting the application for waiver and stay, was passed without affording any opportunity for a personal hearing. This was considered a breach of natural justice, leading to the unsustainability of the order in law. The judgment set aside the order dated 1-10-1999 on these grounds.2. Another issue highlighted was the nature of the orders passed by the lower appellate authority being non-speaking, as no reasons were recorded for the findings made. The judgment pointed out that the lower appellate authority failed to provide any rationale for concluding that the appellants had not established a prima facie case for complete waiver of the pre-deposit amounts. This lack of reasoning rendered the orders unsustainable in law, leading to their setting aside.3. The challenge against the order of rejection of the appeal based on non-compliance with pre-deposit requirements was also addressed. The final order dated 27-1-2000, which followed the illegal order dated 1-10-1999, was found to suffer from the same infirmities. Consequently, the judgment set aside the final order dated 27-1-2000 due to these deficiencies.4. The judgment provided directions for the Commissioner (Appeals) to reconsider the stay application and subsequent application for reconsideration filed by the appellants. It mandated the Commissioner (Appeals) to pass speaking orders on these applications after affording a reasonable opportunity for a personal hearing to the appellants. Furthermore, the Commissioner (Appeals) was instructed to dispose of the appeal on its merits within 3 months from the receipt of the certified copy of the order.In conclusion, the judgment addressed various issues related to procedural fairness, non-speaking orders, and compliance with pre-deposit requirements, ultimately setting aside the earlier orders and providing clear directions for further proceedings before the Commissioner (Appeals).