2000 (10) TMI 327 - AT - Central Excise

Tribunal upholds duty exemption for steel ingots under Notification No. 33/92, rejects Revenue's appeal

The Tribunal upheld the Commissioner (Appeals)'s decision that steel ingots are re-rollable material eligible for duty exemption under Notification No. ... Ingots covered under Notification No. 33/92-C.E. - Appeal Issues: Interpretation of Notification No. 33/92 and Notification No. 53/92 regarding the classification of ingots as re-rollable material and the eligibility for duty exemption.Analysis:1. The Commissioner (Appeals) found that ingots are re-rollable material covered under Notification No. 33/92, even though the notification specifically mentions 're-rollable material' without explicitly including ingots. The Commissioner emphasized that ingots are commonly used in the process of re-rolling to manufacture bars and rods of iron. The introduction of rollable material under Notification No. 53/92 did not exclude ingots from being classified as re-rollable material. The distinction between re-rollable and rollable material was considered minimal.2. The Revenue challenged the Commissioner's finding, arguing that Notification No. 202/88 was applicable to re-rollable material before the amendment under Notification No. 53/92, which explicitly added ingots, bars, and rods. The Revenue contended that the clarification through the amendment was intended to apply only from 10-3-1992, excluding ingots from duty exemption before that date. The Revenue disagreed with the Commissioner's interpretation that ingots fell under re-rollable material.3. The Appellate Tribunal noted that the Revenue failed to provide specific reasons or grounds as to why steel ingots should not be considered re-rollable material. The Tribunal found the Commissioner's order well-reasoned, especially in explaining why ingots could be classified as re-rollable material. The Tribunal emphasized the necessity of substantial reasons to challenge the Commissioner's findings, which were found to be clear and accurate in determining the eligibility of ingots for duty exemption before the amendment.4. Ultimately, the Tribunal upheld the Commissioner (Appeals)'s decision, confirming that ingots were eligible for the benefit of the exemption notification before the amendment introduced by Notification No. 53/92. The Tribunal found no merit in the Revenue's appeal and rejected it based on the Commissioner's well-supported findings and the lack of substantial grounds to challenge the classification of ingots as re-rollable material.