TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2025 (7) TMI 401
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....itioner is a sole proprietary concern of Mr. Nikhil Kumar Bansal. The Petitioner is engaged in the business of manufacturing footwear. It is duly registered under the GST regime with GST No. 07CPLPB207F1Z0 since 1st July, 2017. 5. A SCN was issued on 8th January, 2024 in respect of Financial Years 2018-19 under Section 73 of the Central Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017 (hereinafter, 'CGST Act'). No reply was filed by the Petitioner and the impugned order dated 15th April, 2024 has been passed raising a demand to the tune of Rs.32,44,376/-. 6. The validity of the impugned notifications was under consideration before this Court in a batch of petitions with the lead petition being W.P.(C) 16499/2023 titled 'DJST Traders Pvt. Ltd. vs. Union of India and Ors.' In the said batch of petitions, on 22nd April, 2025, the parties were heard at length qua the validity of the impugned notification and accordingly, the following order was passed: "4. Submissions have been heard in part. The broad challenge to both sets of Notifications is on the ground that the proper procedure was not followed prior to the issuance of the same. In terms of Section 168A, prior recommendation of the....
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....n 73 of the GST Act and SGST Act (Telangana GST Act) for financial year 2019-2020 could have been extended by issuing the Notifications in question under Section 168-A of the GST Act. 6. There are many other issues also arising for consideration in this matter. 7. Dr. Muralidhar pointed out that there is a cleavage of opinion amongst different High Courts of the country. 8. Issue notice on the SLP as also on the prayer for interim relief, returnable on 7-3-2025." 7. In the meantime, the challenges were also pending before the Bombay High Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In the Punjab and Haryana High Court vide order dated 12th March, 2025, all the writ petitions have been disposed of in terms of the interim orders passed therein. The operative portion of the said order reads as under: "65. Almost all the issues, which have been raised before us in these present connected cases and have been noticed hereinabove, are the subject matter of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the aforesaid SLP. 66. Keeping in view the judicial discipline, we refrain from giving our opinion with respect to the vires of Section 168-A of the Act as we....
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....n the said batch of petitions after addressing other factual issues raised in the respective petitions. Additionally, while disposing of the said petitions, this Court clearly observed that the validity of the impugned notifications therein shall be subject to the outcome of the proceedings before the Supreme Court in S.L.P. No. 4240/2025 titled M/s HCC-SEW-MEIL-AAG JV v. Assistant Commissioner of State Tax & Ors. 8. However, the submission of the Petitioner, on facts is that the SCN dated 8th January, 2024, from which the impugned order arises, was uploaded on the 'Additional Notices Tab'. Therefore, the same was not brought to the knowledge of the Petitioner due to which no reply was filed. Hence, the impugned order was passed without providing the Petitioner with an opportunity to challenge the case on merits. According to the Petitioner, the GST Department has also mis-calculated the amount. 9. Moreover, ld. Counsel for the Petitioner submits that as the email address of the Petitioner was being operated by the chartered accountant of the Petitioner, hence, no reply could be filed. In fact, it is submitted by the ld. Counsel that if the matter is considered once again, it....
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....rs'. 8. In view of the above, the present petition is allowed and the impugned order is set aside. 9. The respondent is granted another opportunity to reply to the impugned SCN within a period of two weeks from date. The Adjudicating Authority shall consider the same and pass such order, as it deems fit, after affording the petitioner an opportunity to be heard. 10. The present petition is disposed of in the aforesaid terms. 11. All pending applications are also disposed of." 7. The impugned demand orders dated 23rd April, 2024 and 5th December, 2023 are accordingly set aside. In response to show cause notices dated 04th December, 2023 and 23th September, 2023, the Petitioner shall file its replies within thirty days. The hearing notices shall now not be merely uploaded on the portal but shall also be e-mailed to the Petitioner and upon the hearing notice being received, the Petitioner would appear before the Department and make its submissions. The show cause notices shall be adjudicated in accordance with law. 8. The petitions are disposed of in the above terms. The pending application(s), if any, also stand disposed of." 11. There ....