Appointment of Central Excise Officer with Commissioner powers enables nationwide investigation and adjudication in specified excise case.
The Central Board appoints Shri I.R. Soni, Joint Chief Departmental Representative, as Central Excise Officer and invests him with the powers of the Commissioner to be exercised throughout India for investigation and adjudication of the case against M/s. Chandra Industries, Jalandhar, pursuant to the statutory delegation and applicable subordinate rule.

Delegation of Appellate Powers: Appellate authority vested with equivalent Central Excise appellate powers under statutory rule.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs, under clause (b) of section 2 of the Central Excise Act and the cited rule of the Central Excise (No.2) Rules, 2001, vests the Commissioner of Customs (Appeals), Delhi with all powers of the Commissioner of Central Excise (Appeals) to exercise appellate jurisdiction under the Act and rules.

Excise duty calculation for independent textile processors: new plant and machinery additions excluded from original investment value.
The amendment excludes the value of further investment in additional new plant and machinery from the calculation of the original value of investment for independent textile processors who had timely applied for the special payment procedure; increases in hot air stentor chambers or number of stentors remain relevant for duty computation, and the original value of any such further investment must be declared in the prescribed monthly return.

Excise duty exemption for EPZ/FTZ exports amended to omit specified entries from exemption annexures, narrowing covered zones.
The Central Government directs amendment of specified excise notifications to omit particular entries in the Annexures listing EPZs/FTZs eligible for excise duty exemption, thereby removing those named zones from the exemption schedules and narrowing the scope of qualifying zones.

Central Excise registration amended: prescribed registration and certificate forms substituted, updating the operative registration process.
Amendment under Rule 9 substitutes Annexure I of Notification No. 35/2001-Central Excise (N.T.) with prescribed registration documents: a Request for Central Excise Registration (Form A I) and the Central Excise Registration Certificate (Form RC), thereby prescribing the operative formats for registration and certification and stating the notification's date of commencement.

Exemption Scheme Area Redefinition increases specified perimeter distances to 500 metres, broadening coverage under the notification.
The notification amends the Annexure to the principal exemption notification for Meghalaya by increasing the Scheme Area distances: the entry for "North East" is substituted to read within 500 metres and the entry for "North" is substituted to read within 500 metres, thereby broadening the geographic scope of the Growth Centre/EPIP exemption scheme under the cited excise powers.

Excise duty exemption for supplies to United Nations Industrial Development Organisation expands exempt entities under central excise notification.
Amendment to the central excise exemption schedule inserts the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation into the notification Annexure as an exempt recipient for supplies, extending the existing exemption framework under the governing central excise and additional duties statutes on the stated satisfaction of public interest.

Infrastructure sharing under Software Technology Park Scheme permitted among common-owner units subject to commissioner approval.
The Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise or Deputy Commissioner, subject to Commissioner approval, may allow diesel generating sets/captive power plants, central air-conditioning equipment, uninterrupted power supply systems, networking equipment, data transfer protocol equipment, EPABX, fax, photocopiers and security systems procured by a user industry engaged in software development to be utilised by other units of the same owner located in the same compound or adjacent premises for manufacture or development of software and export.

Exemption limitation for reprocessed plastic materials in FTZ/SEZ/EOU clarified; such materials lose exemption when brought into India.
The notification amends the central excise exemption for plastic materials by adding an Explanation clarifying that the exemption does not apply to plastic materials reprocessed in a free trade zone, a special economic zone, or a hundred per cent export oriented undertaking when such materials are brought to any other place in India.

Aggregate value counting for SSI duty exemption: specified clearances must be included and refunds on such clearances barred.
The notifications are amended to require that home consumption clearances of specified tariff headings and related parts during the transitional period be counted when computing the aggregate value for SSI duty exemption; refunds claimed for duty paid on those clearances before the effective date on the ground that they were included in the aggregate are not admissible; and the ANNEXURE is revised to replace the broad chapter reference with a narrowed list of included tariff headings.

Exemption for 9mm pistol when manufactured by designated producer and cleared with ministry recommendation for supply to police forces.
Amendment inserts a conditional exemption for Pistol 9mm under Chapter 93 under section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944: the exemption applies where the pistol is manufactured by a designated manufacturer and supplied to State or Union Territory Police Forces, and where, prior to clearance, a Ministry of Home Affairs officer not below Joint Secretary recommends the exemption specifying full description and quantity.

Exemption of gold potassium cyanide used in-factory for manufacturing gold jewellery removes central excise duty on that input.
The notification inserts a new table entry exempting gold potassium cyanide used within the factory of production for the manufacture of gold jewellery, specifying a Nil rate of duty under the Central Excise Act and placing the entry after S.No. 45 of the principal notification.

Tariff exemption for rubberised coir mattresses introduced; footwear exempted subject to a retail price cap and deletions made.
The amendment substitutes S.No.173A to exempt footwear sold at or below a prescribed retail sale price and adds an explanatory definition of "retail sale price" as the maximum packaged consumer price inclusive of taxes, freight, commission and related charges; it also inserts S.No.243A (94.04) to grant Nil excise duty to rubberised coir mattresses and omits items (b) and (i) from column (3) against S.No.262, thereby further amending Notification No.3/2001-CE.

Original value of investment in plant and machinery defined by ICAI Accounting Standards on Fixed Assets, clarifying excise treatment.
Insertion of Explanation II into Notification No. 39/2001-CE clarifies that the "original value of investment in plant and machinery installed in the factory" means the original value as determined in accordance with the Accounting Standards issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India on Accounting for Fixed Assets, thereby specifying the valuation methodology to be applied under the notification.

Original value determination of plant and machinery clarified as per Accounting Standards for notification amendment.
The amendment clarifies that the original value of the investment in the plant and machinery installed in the factory of the independent textile processor shall be the original value as determined in accordance with the Accounting Standards issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India on Accounting for Fixed Assets.

Special economic zone designation confirms Cochin SEZ boundaries, area and constituent survey numbers under central excise powers.
The central government, invoking the proviso to section 3(1) of the Central Excise Act, 1944, specifies Cochin Special Economic Zone as a special economic zone, superseding Notification No. 14/2001-CE(NT). The notification fixes the zone's location in Thrikkakara South, Ernakulam district, Kerala, records the area as 42.4504 hectares, lists all constituent survey numbers (including later additions), and describes the masonry compound wall, barbed wire fencing, perimeter measurements and external boundary roads.

Special Economic Zone designation: SEEPZ specified and bounded, superseding prior notification and defining territorial limits.
Government specifies the SEEPZ Special Economic Zone, Mumbai as a special economic zone under powers conferred by Explanation 2 to the proviso to sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Central Excise Act, 1944, superseding Notification No.13/2001 except as to past actions; it defines SEEPZ as plot F.1 in the Marel Industrial Area within Parjapur and Vyaravli, taluka Andheri, in the registration sub-district and district of Mumbai and Mumbai suburban, measuring approximately 3,75,013 square meters and bounded north by road and Aarey Milk Colony land, south by road, east by pipeline and Aarey Milk Colony land, and west by road.

Special Economic Zone designation: Kandla SEZ defined by specific territorial boundaries and perimeter fencing, superseding prior notification.
The Central Government designates Kandla Special Economic Zone as a Special Economic Zone under the proviso to section 3(1) of the Central Excise Act, 1944, superseding Notification No. 12/2001-C.E. (N.T.) and excepting prior acts or omissions. The notification identifies specific survey numbers in Anjar taluka, Kutch, Gujarat, describes the zone's relation to the port of Kandla and aggregates its extents, and prescribes perimeter constructions including masonry walls and steel-bar mesh fencing that together define the SEZ's territorial boundaries.

Special Economic Zone designation: Surat SEZ specified with defined area, blocks, boundaries and superseding prior notification.
The Central Government specifies Surat Special Economic Zone at village Sachin, taluka Choryasi, district Surat (Gujarat) as a special economic zone, superseding the earlier notification dated 27 March 2001. The notification defines the SEZ's territorial extent as 4,98,997 square meters by enumerated block numbers, and sets its boundaries (Kakrapar Canal, Diamond Industrial Park, Surat-Bombay railway line), proximate transport links, and an enclosing 3.7 meter boundary wall with Y shape barbed wire fence.

MRP based assessment updated to specify a set rate for insulated ware under central excise notification amendment.
The Central Government, invoking powers under sub section (1) and sub section (2) of section 4A of the Central Excise Act, 1944, amends Notification No. 5/2001 Central Excise (N.T.) by substituting the entry in column (4) against serial No. 44 in the Table with "45%", thereby specifying the percentage to be applied for MRP based assessment of insulated ware by Notification No. 60/2001 C.E. (N.T.), dated 13 9 2001.