Extension of filing deadline for Form ST-3 granted to accommodate upload difficulties and prevent technical noncompliance.
An administrative order under sub-rule(4) of rule 7 of the Service Tax Rules authorises an extension of the date of submission for Form ST-3 for the relevant half-year, on account of difficulties faced by assessees in uploading the offline utilities, thereby permitting filings within the extended period to address technical impediments to electronic submission.

Premature encashment of savings bonds allowed for senior investors subject to age based lock in and an interest penalty.
Premature encashment of 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 is allowed for individual investors aged sixty and above subject to tiered minimum lock in periods, documentary proof of age, and surrender of entire applications only. Payments occur on scheduled half year interest payment dates or subsequent processing dates; cumulative and non cumulative bonds have prescribed notional or actual payment timings. If interest warrants have been dispatched but not tendered, a portion of the last six months' interest is recoverable as penalty. Requests require a request letter and Form 1A discharge certificate.

Conflict of interest rules for credit rating agencies require prior approval, disclosures, and ownership restrictions to prevent misuse.
CRAs must adopt policies and procedures to manage conflicts of interest in investments and trading by CRAs, Access Persons and employees, prohibit misuse of price-sensitive information, require prior approval for Access Person transactions in securities of rated or graded entities, mandate initial and ongoing disclosures of holdings and transactions, require Rating Committee members to declare interests, prohibit ownership of issuer securities by employees involved in rating, and publish the adopted policies on the CRA website under SEBI's regulatory authority.

Unmatched challans: deductors must verify and correct TDS entries in Form 26AS per directive issued.
Instruction No. 11/2013 mandates that CPC (TDS) and Assessing Officers (TDS) issue letters to deductors with unmatched challans reflected as unverified TDS in Form 26AS, require verification and correction of those challans, and, where necessary, request filing of correction statements under the prescribed procedure, with follow-up and completion by the respective TDS processing authorities.

Conflict of interest guidelines require market intermediaries to adopt policies, disclosures and safeguards to manage conflicts and protect clients.
Entities and their associated persons must adopt policies, procedures and internal codes to identify, avoid, manage or disclose conflicts of interest, ensuring client primacy, fair treatment, prohibition on trading on material non public information, use of information barriers, transaction restrictions when handling mandates, and avoidance of incentive structures that misalign client risk. Boards must implement systems, review compliance and align existing policies within the prescribed timeframe; these guidelines supplement existing regulations and aim to protect investors and market integrity.

Dispute Resolution Panel constitution allocating members and reserve members with added duties pending issuance of directions.
Constitution of Dispute Resolution Panel under Section 144C is effected, specifying for each jurisdiction a three member panel and a reserve member, with members to perform DRP duties in addition to regular responsibilities until directions are issued; the order modifies the earlier order and takes effect on the stated effective date.

Simplified handling of mishandled baggage allows airlines to clear and deliver passenger baggage subject to specified documentary and liability conditions.
Airlines at Trivandrum International Airport may clear passengers' mishandled baggage if the passenger provides the original Landing Certificate or PIR, a signed authorization (Annexure A), an itemised list of contents with quantities or values, and relevant passport copies; the airline must produce an airline authorization (Annexure B), undertake payment of assessed Customs duty and indemnify Customs, while all statutory restrictions and seizure provisions remain applicable and the facility excludes Transfer of Residence claims and specified sensitive ports.

Delivery orders levied stamp duty under Article 24 at prescribed rates; collection effective 1 July 2013.
Stamp duty is leviable on delivery orders under Article 24 of the Karnataka Stamp Schedule. A delivery order is an instrument enabling a person, assignee or holder to obtain delivery of goods stored in docks, ports, warehouses or wharves and signed by or for the owner upon sale or transfer of property. Collection of the prescribed stamp duty on such instruments commenced on 01.07.2013.

Customs duty exemption for ash handling, water treatment and coal transport imports for mega power projects regardless of plant boundary.
Goods required for development of ash disposal systems (including ash dyke), water intake including treatment and storage facilities, and coal transportation facilities for ultra-mega/mega power projects are eligible for customs duty exemption under project imports, notwithstanding that such facilities may be set up inside or outside the power plant's designated boundary.

Central statutory forms online now require electronic requisition and ward approval, with manual issuance discontinued.
Electronic issuance of Central Statutory forms for earlier years requires dealers to enter party-, item- and bill-wise purchase details on the departmental portal, submit requisitions which accumulate saved entries, and obtain ward VATO approval; VTAs must verify up-to-date returns, absence of unstayed dues, and that purchased items are allowed in the dealer's Central R.C., with manual issuance discontinued and approvals processed via software within three working days.

FDI caps and entry routes updated to expand automatic entry for many sectors while reserving government review for higher inflows.
Revision of sectoral FDI caps and entry routes shifts many sectors to automatic entry up to specified thresholds with government approval required beyond those thresholds; it deletes certain compulsory divestment and test-marketing provisions, consolidates telecom service categories under licensing and security compliance, tightens defence-sector procedural and investor-type restrictions while enabling escalated review for access to modern technology, and raises ceilings or alters routes for asset reconstruction, credit information and other market infrastructure subject to regulatory oversight and prescribed filing channels.

FDI conditions for multi brand retail: backend investment, required domestic sourcing from MSMEs, and revised outlet location rules take immediate effect.
At least 50% of total FDI in the first tranche of US$100 million must be invested in backend infrastructure within three years; at least 30% of procurement value of manufactured/processed goods must be sourced from Indian micro, small and medium enterprises with plant and machinery investment not exceeding US$2.00 million (SME status fixed at first engagement and cooperatives included), measured as a five year average initially and annually thereafter; retail outlets are limited to cities over 10 lakh population or other cities as allowed by State Governments, covering up to 10 km around municipal/urban agglomerations and conforming to Master/Zonal Plans.

Control definition expanded to include management, shareholding and agreement-based rights, affecting calculation of foreign investment.
The term control for calculating total foreign investment is expanded to include the right to appoint a majority of directors or to control management or policy decisions by virtue of shareholding, management rights, shareholders agreements or voting agreements, replacing the earlier definition limited to appointment power; the amendment takes immediate effect.

Filing of quarterly VAT returns: front-office submission required and online filing prerequisite enforced for acceptance by authorities for taxpayers
Taxpayers who have filed quarterly VAT returns electronically must submit printed hard copies at designated front-office extension counters; only returns filed online will be accepted and manual returns not filed online are prohibited. Zonal and ward in-charges must arrange floor-wise staffing, manage issuance and return of date-and-numbering stamps, and ensure logistics support for front-office operations, with copies of the directive circulated to relevant VAT officials and stakeholders for implementation.

Monetary threshold increase narrows prosecution triggers, tightening imprisonment and fine eligibility under specified income tax offences.
Finance Act, 2012 raised the monetary threshold for initiating prosecution under Chapter XXII of the Income tax Act for offences including wilful tax evasion, failure to furnish returns, false verification statements, and abetment of false returns; where the enhanced threshold is exceeded the offences attract rigorous imprisonment (minimum six months, up to seven years) and fine. The amendment is effective from 01.07.2012 and the Prosecution Manual, 2009 should be updated to reflect this and related legislative changes.

Filling of Joint Development Commissioner post in SEEPZ SEZ Mumbai on deputation with age relaxation for internal candidates.
The Department invites internal applications for deputation to the post of Joint Development Commissioner, SEEPZ SEZ Mumbai, with a one-time relaxation of the maximum age limit for internal candidates who otherwise meet the vacancy circular's eligibility; applications must follow the 20 December 2012 vacancy circular's qualifications, pay scale (Pay Band-3, Grade Pay Rs. 7,600), deputation terms, and documentary requirements, and be received by 30 September 2013.

Portfolio Investment Scheme liberalisation allows authorised dealer bank branches to administer PIS subject to reporting, sectoral exclusions and compliance.
Authorised dealer banks may permit their branches to administer NRI investments under the Portfolio Investment Scheme while allotting a single Unique Code to the bank's designated link office; the link office must be furnished to the Reserve Bank in advance and must report all PIS transactions daily via the Online Report Filing System in form LEC (NRI). Banks must apply scheme terms, enforce sectoral investment exclusions specified under FEMA, ensure compliance with AD and EC.CO.FID circulars and other FEMA requirements, and note the derecognition of Overseas Corporate Bodies as eligible investors.

Finished leather inspection protocol mandates provisional assessment and laboratory testing before finalising export consignments, with duty on non compliance.
Consignments declared as finished leather will be examined with CLRI officials present; samples drawn by customs in CLRI presence will be sent to CLRI for testing and shipping bills will be provisionally assessed pending results. Exporters must execute a provisional bond, pay testing charges to CLRI, and present goods for sampling; CLRI will forward test results to the deputy commissioner and, if confirmed as finished leather, the shipping bill will be finalised and the bond closed, otherwise export duty and further action will follow.

Software testing requirements for trading systems mandate mandatory exchange testing, auditor certification, approval and non-discriminatory API sharing.
Stock exchanges must implement a mandatory testing framework for trading and risk management software including simulated test environments, regular mock trading sessions with mandatory participation by all algo-enabled user-ids, and User Acceptance Testing; brokers must obtain system auditor certification of tests, seek exchange approval with required documentation prior to deployment, ensure auditors are certified and conflict-free, provide undertakings accepting liability for non-compliance, and exchanges must share APIs non-discriminatorily, enforce penalties for malfunctions and adopt necessary bye-law amendments.

Finished leather inspection: consignments subject to CLRI testing and provisional assessment, non-compliance attracts export duty and action.
Consignments declared as finished leather will be provisionally assessed pending laboratory test results: samples are drawn under Customs supervision, documented via triplicate test memos and a register, and sent to a designated technical laboratory; exporters must execute a provisional bond (simplified for registered exporters, additional security for others) and pay testing charges; compliance confirmed by test report leads to finalisation and bond closure, while non compliance attracts export duty and further legal action.