CESTAT allowed the appeal filed by the auction-purchaser,...

CESTAT allowed the appeal filed by the auction-purchaser, holding that recovery of pre-liquidation dues such as excise and customs duties from the purchaser of the company's assets is impermissible. It held that, in a liquidation sale conducted under the Companies Act, 1956, only sales tax is payable by the purchaser and all other pre-liquidation statutory dues stand settled in accordance with that Act, with no surviving claim against the auction-purchaser. In the absence of any overriding non-obstante clause in the relevant fiscal statutes, the department cannot bypass the official liquidator. The demand notices issued to the appellant-auction-purchaser were, therefore, held to be without jurisdiction and set aside.