Firecracker seizure set aside for failure to prove smuggling; burden under Section 123, Section 108 violations

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....CESTAT allowed the appeals and set aside the impugned order insofar as it ordered absolute confiscation of the seized firecrackers and imposed penalties on the appellants. The Bench held that the seizure was a town seizure within India, the goods were not notified under S.123 of the Customs Act, 1962, and the burden of proving foreign, smuggled origin squarely rested on Revenue. Revenue failed to adduce cogent evidence of Chinese origin, conducted no effective follow-up investigation, and did not make the godown owner a noticee. Denial of cross-examination under S.108 further violated principles of natural justice. Consequently, the proceedings were held unsustainable and all penalties on the anonymized appellants were vacated.....