Anti-dumping duty extension on carbon black used in rubber applications continues, levy sustained and payable in Indian currency.
The Central Government, under sub-sections (1) and (5) of section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act and rule 23 of the said rules, has amended the principal notification to insert a provision continuing the anti-dumping duties specified in the TABLE against certain serial numbers for a further one-year period and providing that those duties shall be levied until the extended expiry and paid in Indian currency.

Anti-dumping duty extension on front axle beam and steering knuckle: continues protection against dumped imports from China.
The Central Government amended the original notification to insert a provision that preserves the operation of the anti-dumping duty on Front Axle Beam and Steering Knuckle originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China, thereby extending the notification's force for a further specified period unless revoked earlier, while leaving the covered articles and tariff classifications unchanged.

Appointment of Common Adjudicating Authority: show cause notice on misuse of export incentive schemes assigned for adjudication.
The Board directs that Show Cause Notice F.No. DRI/MZU/E(G)/Inv-08/09-10 issued by the Additional Director General, DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit, concerning alleged misuse of export incentive schemes by M/s Shree Balaji Internationl and others, is assigned to the Commissioner of Customs (Export), Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House, Nhava Sheva, as the Common Adjudicating Authority for adjudication under the applicable customs notification framework.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointment assigns specified revenue intelligence show cause notices to the Commissioner of Customs for adjudication.
The Board assigns specified show cause notices issued by revenue intelligence units to the Commissioner of Customs (Import), Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva, as the Common Adjudicating Authority for adjudication, identifying principal noticees including M/s Iris International and M/s Impex Steel & Bearing Co., and directing communication of the transfer to relevant customs formations.

Assignment of Show Cause Notice assigned for adjudication under the Customs Act to the designated adjudicating authority.
The Central Board assigns the Show Cause Notice concerning M/s Cortel India to the Commissioner of Customs at the Inland Container Depot, Tughlakabad for adjudication, relying on powers conferred by the Notification issued under section 4 of the Customs Act and thereby designating that commissionerate as the Common Adjudicating Authority; copies are sent to the issuing unit, the local commissionerate, the receiving commissionerate, and the board's electronic mailbox to effect administrative transmission.

Assignment of Show Cause Notice transfers adjudication of a customs non tariff case to the designated adjudicating authority.
The Board, invoking the customs statutory framework, assigns the Show Cause Notice dated 27.05.2014 issued against M/s Malhotra Electronics Pvt. Ltd. by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Delhi Zonal Unit, to the Commissioner of Customs at NOIDA for the purpose of adjudication, effecting an administrative transfer of adjudicatory responsibility and directing service copies to relevant offices and the Board web administrator.

Assignment of adjudication: show cause notices reallocated to Commissioner of Customs for adjudication under Customs law.
The Commissioner of Customs (Import & General), IGI Airport, New Delhi is designated as the Common Adjudicating Authority to adjudicate specific show cause notices issued by an investigative revenue authority; the order transfers adjudicatory responsibility for the named notices to that Commissioner and circulates the assignment to relevant revenue and customs offices for further action.

Customs amendment authorises an additional inland location for defence-related unloading and loading of imported and export goods.
The notification inserts item (f) Hindon, Ghaziabad into the table of Notification No. 61/94 Customs (N.T.), authorising unloading of imported goods and loading of export goods or any class of such goods related to the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, thereby expanding authorised ICD/LCS/port operations under the principal notification. The amendment is time limited and issued under clause (a) of sub section (1) of section 7 of the Customs Act, 1962.

Exchange rate determination updated: prescribed conversion rates for foreign currencies for imports and exports now in force.
Determination under section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, prescribing rupee conversion rates for specified foreign currencies for import and export goods, effective from 18th July, 2014. Schedule I lists per-unit rates for each currency for imports and exports; Schedule II lists rates per 100 units for specified currencies. The notification supersedes the earlier cited notification except as to prior actions.

Tariff value fixation updated under Customs Act powers, establishing revised valuation benchmarks for specified imported commodities.
CBEC, exercising powers under section 14(2) of the Customs Act, 1962, amends Notification No. 36/2001 Customs (N.T.) by substituting TABLE 1, TABLE 2 and TABLE 3 with revised tariff value schedules. The new tables set fixed US dollar tariff values for specified imported goods-including edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nuts, and gold and silver where related notification benefits apply-to serve as customs valuation benchmarks.

Resident private limited company may seek advance customs rulings, clarifying eligibility under the advance-ruling framework.
Specification designates resident private limited company as eligible to obtain advance rulings on customs matters; "private limited company" and "resident" adopt the statutory meanings from company and income-tax law respectively for the purpose of identifying eligible applicants.

Baggage allowance amendments raise monetary limits and revise cigarette and tobacco quantity thresholds for duty exemptions.
The amendment revises Appendix A monetary thresholds by substituting higher figures in item (ii) for clause (a) and for clauses (b) and (c), and replaces Annex I item 3 with a provision specifying limits on cigarettes, cigars and tobacco for baggage purposes; the rules commence on publication in the Official Gazette.

Metro Rail or Monorail projects now eligible for project imports exemption when sponsored by state governments.
Substitutes serial number 3F in the Project Imports Regulations, 1986 to designate Metro Rail or Monorail projects for urban public transport as eligible under the project imports regime when sponsored by the Concerned State Government, effective 11 July 2014.

Customs duty refund entitlement follows registration: importers paying duties may claim refunds after obtaining research institution registration.
Importers not registered with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research must pay applicable customs and additional duties at clearance; after obtaining DSIR registration and complying with the notification's specified conditions, they may claim a refund of duties paid that are exempt under the notification. Refunds are to be filed with the Assistant or Deputy Commissioner of Customs at the port of import within one year of payment, with a possible single extension by the Commissioner of Customs not exceeding one additional year.

Customs exemption for specified ARV drugs and HIV diagnostics allowed when certified as required for national AIDS programme.
The notification exempts a specified list of anti retroviral drugs and designated HIV diagnostics and equipment, imported for the National AIDS Control Programme funded by GFATM, from the entirety of basic customs duty and additional duty under the Customs Tariff Act, provided the importer produces, prior to clearance, a certificate from an officer not below Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirming the goods are required for the GFATM funded programme.

Customs exemption amendment allows transfer to approved projects, re-export without incentives, or duty on depreciated value.
The amendment permits importers of goods brought in prior to 1 March 2008 under the international-organization project exemption to either transfer goods to a new approved project upon producing a government officer's certificate and an international organization declaration, re-export the goods with identity established and no export incentive claimed, or pay customs duty on the depreciated value of the goods upon production of a government officer's certificate, with depreciation computed by a straight-line quarterly schedule subject to a maximum cap.

Customs exemptions expanded for renewable energy and ICT imports, adding duty-free PC components, smart card PVC, and wind parts.
Amendments to Notification No. 21/2012-Customs add "solar energy production" to existing solar power generation language and insert new duty-free entries for: inputs/components for personal computers including tablets under heading 8471; PVC sheet and ribbon for manufacture of smart cards under sub-heading 8523 52; and parts and raw materials for manufacture of wind-operated electricity generators, each exemption being subject to specified conditions annexed to Notification No. 12/2012-Customs.

Customs exemption for strategic imports requires senior officer certification and specified duty exemption documentation before clearance.
The amendment inserts conditional customs exemptions permitting duty free importation when (a) a designated government technical agency's senior officer certifies goods are required for strategic systems, or (b) an Indian Offset Partner furnishes, before clearance, a duty exemption certificate from such a senior officer detailing the agency's purchase order, the contractor's order on the offset partner with product descriptions and quantities, and certifying intended use in radars; both exemptions are subject to an express sunset provision.

Exemption from education cess limited by proviso excluding specified electronic, telecommunications and recording media goods from relief.
Amendment inserts a proviso to exclude specified goods from the exemption from the Secondary and Higher Education Cess under Notification No. 14/2012-Customs, referencing the Table in Notification No. 69/2004-Customs; exclusions include specified tariff headings for telecommunications equipment, certain recorded and unrecorded media, electronic components and integrated circuits, and specified serial-numbered entries from the referenced Table.

Exemption carve out: Education cess exemption amended to exclude specified imported electronics, telecommunication and media goods.
An amendment to Notification No. 13/2012-Customs inserts a proviso excluding specified goods listed in the Table to Notification No. 69/2004-Customs from the exemption from the whole of the Education Cess. The excluded items are identified by headings, sub headings, tariff items and serial numbers and include certain chemical and machinery tariff items, line telephone sets and videophones, specified telecommunication equipment, prepared unrecorded and recorded media (with stated exclusions), electronic integrated circuits, parts and micro assemblies, measuring and optical instruments, and other serially enumerated Table items.