CESTAT allowed the appeal by way of remand, holding that the...

CESTAT allowed the appeal by way of remand, holding that the matter must be reconsidered by the Commissioner (Appeals) in light of Supreme Court guidance on evaluating "most akin" classification where test samples are incomplete. The Tribunal found that prior appellate reliance on an earlier decision was misplaced and directed reassessment with expert opinion to determine whether the tested parameters suffice to establish most-akinness vis-à-vis Chapter and Section Notes and statutory provisions. Issues of suppression, mis-declaration, penalty under s.112(a) and confiscation are to be revisited following the expert-assisted analysis; the file is remitted for fresh adjudication consistent with the apex court's guidelines.

---