https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=54851 A duty demand based solely on estimated stock shortage under Rule 223A of the Central Excise Rules, 1944 was unsustainable where stock verification involved estimation, departmental officers only associated with the exercise, and there was no evidence of clandestine removal. The Tribunal treated practical stock-accounting limitations in the steel plant context as relevant and held the shortage finding unsafe on the record. On limitation, the demand was governed by Section 11A of the Central Excise Act, 1944, and the extended period could not be invoked absent suppression, fraud, or clandestine removal. The demand was therefore held time-barred and set aside in full. en-us Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0530 Wed, 01 May 2024 12:33:00 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=54851 A duty demand based solely on estimated stock shortage under Rule 223A of the Central Excise Rules, 1944 was unsustainable where stock verification involved estimation, departmental officers only associated with the exercise, and there was no evidence of clandestine removal. The Tribunal treated practical stock-accounting limitations in the steel plant context as relevant and held the shortage finding unsafe on the record. On limitation, the demand was governed by Section 11A of the Central Excise Act, 1944, and the extended period could not be invoked absent suppression, fraud, or clandestine removal. The demand was therefore held time-barred and set aside in full. Case-Laws Central Excise Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=54851