https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=114611 Stock verification by excise officers was treated as distinct from a search, and the absence of panch witnesses was held not to invalidate the exercise because they were only an additional precaution. The factory manager was present and certified the figures, and the director later admitted the shortages in his statement. A belated objection to the verification procedure, raised only in reply, did not displace the recorded discrepancies. In the absence of any plausible explanation or credible rebuttal, the finding of clandestine removal was upheld and duty demand with penalty was sustained against the assessee. en-us Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0530 Fri, 18 May 2012 14:05:56 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=114611 Stock verification by excise officers was treated as distinct from a search, and the absence of panch witnesses was held not to invalidate the exercise because they were only an additional precaution. The factory manager was present and certified the figures, and the director later admitted the shortages in his statement. A belated objection to the verification procedure, raised only in reply, did not displace the recorded discrepancies. In the absence of any plausible explanation or credible rebuttal, the finding of clandestine removal was upheld and duty demand with penalty was sustained against the assessee. Case-Laws Central Excise Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=114611