CESTAT held that recovery of customs duty on inputs and packing...

CESTAT held that recovery of customs duty on inputs and packing materials procured duty-free by an Export Oriented Unit and subsequently destroyed per mandatory pharmaceutical protocols was impermissible. The adjudicating authority misconstrued the EOU scheme under Customs Act, 1962 and Notification 52/2003. The proper officer's satisfaction regarding non-compliance with Standard Input Output Norms was required before duty recovery. The Commissioner inappropriately invoked bond provisions without proper demand notice under Section 28 or justified appropriation of jurisdiction. The adjudicating authority exceeded jurisdiction by acting without establishing proper officer status under Section 142. No duty was recoverable on destroyed goods complying with pharmaceutical regulations and Foreign Trade Policy provisions. The impugned order was set aside and appeal allowed.

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