Input tax credit is a conditional statutory entitlement...

Input tax credit is a conditional statutory entitlement requiring cumulative compliance, including actual tax payment by the supplier. Recipient exposure to supplier default is addressed through reversal and subsequent re-availment of credit, with the claimant bearing the burden of proving eligibility. Fraud-based proceedings require prima facie material supporting allegations of fraud, wilful misstatement or suppression; detailed allegations of fake invoices, bogus supplies and no movement of goods require merits examination. Pre-notice intimation is enabling rather than mandatory, and investigation and adjudication by the proper officer do not alone establish bias. Merits disputes should ordinarily proceed through the statutory appellate remedy.