Under Section 75(4), an adverse determination could not be made...

Under Section 75(4), an adverse determination could not be made without affording the taxpayer a hearing, and the obligation remained even if the response to the show cause notice was filed late. The High Court found that no personal hearing had been given and the alleged communication relied on by the State was not available on the portal, so the assessment order under Section 73(9) suffered from breach of the mandatory hearing requirement. The order was set aside, and the officer was directed to restore limited portal access, accept the response, and decide the matter afresh after granting hearing in accordance with law.

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