https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=160693 Interest was payable on the delayed refund of a penalty amount that became refundable after the penalty order was annulled in appeal, because the refund provisions of the Punjab General Sales Tax Act, 1948 required payment of interest where the refundable sum was not returned within ninety days of the relevant order. The argument that the original check barrier officer was not the assessing authority did not defeat the claim, since the department retained the money and made the refund only after substantial delay. The Court also noted that the State could not retain money without lawful authority and could be liable to compensate the assessee for wrongful retention, with the statutory rate under section 12(3) treated as a reasonable measure. en-us Mon, 28 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0530 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 11:57:51 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=160693 Interest was payable on the delayed refund of a penalty amount that became refundable after the penalty order was annulled in appeal, because the refund provisions of the Punjab General Sales Tax Act, 1948 required payment of interest where the refundable sum was not returned within ninety days of the relevant order. The argument that the original check barrier officer was not the assessing authority did not defeat the claim, since the department retained the money and made the refund only after substantial delay. The Court also noted that the State could not retain money without lawful authority and could be liable to compensate the assessee for wrongful retention, with the statutory rate under section 12(3) treated as a reasonable measure. Case-Laws VAT and Sales Tax Mon, 28 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=160693