Pre-import condition upheld as a permissible policy measure to align IGST exemptions with actual use of imported inputs.

The Supreme Court considered the validity of the pre-import condition for claiming IGST exemptions under Advance Authorizations, treating such conditions as an exercise of executive policy discretion within the Foreign Trade Policy to ensure exemptions match actual use of inputs in export production. The Court acknowledged exporters' operational difficulties but framed its analysis around permissible policy choices in economic regulation. It further held that the subsequent withdrawal of the condition could not be given retrospective effect because the statutory scheme does not authorize retrospective regulations of that nature.

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