Extended limitation could not support recovery of Special Additional Duty on goods transferred from an FTWZ to a domestic tariff area unit because the exemption practice followed directions and decisions of SEZ and FTWZ authorities, including a chartered accountant's certificate. The Tribunal found no mala fides or suppression of facts intended to evade duty. As the entire demand lay outside the normal limitation period, the extended period was unavailable and the exemption's merits required no examination. The duty demand, confiscation and penalties were set aside, and Revenue's penalty-enhancement appeal was dismissed.

Voluntary statements made before Customs officers may serve as substantive evidence because Customs officers are not police officers for the statutory rule excluding police confessions. An unretracted statement, where no coercion is established and independent material corroborates its contents, may be relied upon to determine a Customs Broker's role in improper imports. Knowing advice to classify areca nuts under an incorrect tariff heading, claim an inapplicable exemption, and facilitate clearance of prohibited goods can establish abetment and justify penalties against both the Customs Broker and its director. The penalties were upheld because knowledge and intention were established through voluntary, corroborated evidence.

Absolute confiscation of imported computer hard discs was set aside because the goods had already been redeemed on payment of fine and were unavailable for further redemption; the confiscation merits had attained finality. Reliance on Supreme Court precedent supporting redemption meant that a subsequent absolute-confiscation direction was non-est in law. Enhanced penalties on the importer and its business head were also set aside because the original penalties were proportionate to the offence and market value had not been determined to establish the profit margin. The adjudication order allowing redemption and imposing the original penalties was sustained.

Leave to appeal against an acquittal requires the Court to determine whether a prima facie case or arguable points warrant examination. It need not minutely evaluate evidence or conclusively decide whether the acquittal is perverse at that stage. Where the record requires reappreciation, review or reconsideration of evidence, leave should be granted and merits considered in the criminal appeal; the double presumption of innocence does not itself justify refusing leave. For limitation, time spent processing and obtaining a certified copy of the impugned judgment is excluded, and the effective filing period may therefore fall within the prescribed limit without condonation.

The amended exclusion from the interim moratorium applies to personal-guarantor insolvency applications filed before its commencement that remain pending. Its application is retroactive because it governs a continuing proceeding from the amendment's effective date without impairing vested rights, and it does not depend on the identity of the insolvency applicant. The interim moratorium consequently ceases for affected guarantors. Pending commencement and conduct of arbitration, limited protection may require asset disclosure and restrain alienation or dissipation of disclosed assets. Such measures do not require a deposit and may be vacated if arbitration-appointment proceedings are not initiated within the stipulated period, while remaining subject to modification by the arbitral tribunal.

Section 10A bars CIRP for defaults arising during its protected period. A cash-credit default requires non-payment of a debt that is legally due and presently payable; deferred interest recovery and the absence of a demand under an on-demand facility may prevent an actionable default. For an ad hoc cash-credit facility, a repayment period running from the date of availment excludes that first day, so default arises only after the period expires. Amendment of a Section 7 application may be permitted, but a substituted default date must be supported by pleaded facts and evidence, particularly where Section 10A permanently affects maintainability.

PMLA safeguards for search, seizure and retention require recorded reasons to believe, founded on material in possession, that seized property is prima facie connected with proceeds of crime and needed for adjudication. Suspicion or unsubstantiated allegations do not satisfy these requirements, and a retention order cannot be justified later through new grounds in a counter-affidavit. Persons asserting ownership of seized property must receive independent notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. Non-compliance with these statutory and natural-justice requirements rendered the retention order unsustainable; it was set aside, while the investigation could continue in accordance with law. Availability of a statutory appeal did not bar writ review of alleged jurisdictional, mandatory-procedure and natural-justice violations.

SARFAESI Act applies to live, outstanding secured loan accounts assigned by a non-notified non-banking financial company to a bank already covered by the Act. The original lender's status when the loan was granted does not prevent the assignee bank from enforcing the acquired non-performing secured debt; on assignment, the account acquires the attributes of secured debt under the Act. The bank may therefore invoke SARFAESI measures, including seeking physical possession. Where a threshold challenge to such recourse succeeds without examination of other factual and legal objections, the securitisation application should be restored to the Tribunal for merits adjudication, subject to any directed deposit without prejudice to rights.

Entry 35 exempts codeine cough-syrup preparations compounded within prescribed dosage and concentration limits and established in therapeutic practice when dealt with in the ordinary course of medicinal business. Routine sales without prescription or ordinary licence breaches ordinarily attract action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act unless non-medicinal diversion is established; licence-condition breaches involving narcotic drugs may also permit NDPS prosecution. Diversion for intoxication removes the exemption and renders the preparation a manufactured drug, with the entire syrup mixture relevant to quantity assessment. Regular bail depends on prima facie proof of conscious possession, trafficking, conspiracy, or diversion; sealed consignments, mere employment, or uncorroborated allegations may be insufficient.

India-US bilateral trade agreement negotiations are being pursued on the stated basis that Indian sensitivities will not be compromised. The agreement's text remains non-public, while the government position identifies farmers, fishers, micro, small and medium enterprises, workers, handloom and handicrafts sectors, and the automobile industry as protected considerations. The arrangement is described as a first tranche, with further engagement contemplated following changes in the United States tariff landscape.

Unauthorised digital applications allegedly enabled toll collection from vehicles without FASTag stickers outside the official reporting system. Mobdata and Any were allegedly used to generate unauthorised or fake toll receipts, conceal collections from NHAI, and monitor such collections through dedicated portals. A PMLA investigation followed an FIR alleging fraudulent toll collection, with digital forensic material indicating use of the mechanism across around 100 toll plazas. Searches resulted in seizure of financial and digital records and freezing of bank accounts.

Capacity-building training under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme equipped officers from member countries with practical skills for investigating economic offences. It covered varied forms of financial and economic crime, cross-border impact, challenges in investigation and prosecution, standard operating procedures, and investigative best practices. The specialised law-enforcement engagement aims to strengthen international cooperation and investigative capacity in economic-offence matters.

Where a GST writ was entertained because the Tribunal was unavailable, subsequent relegation to the Tribunal may require protection or exclusion of the writ-pendency period to preserve an effective appellate remedy. Considerations include the absence of voluntary bypass, diligent prosecution, exceptional circumstances, and the stage of the writ. The Tribunal remains the final fact-finding authority, and an appeal requires compliance with the prescribed pre-deposit requirement.

Time spent bona fide pursuing a writ petition may be sought to be excluded when an assessee approached the writ jurisdiction because the GSTAT was unavailable and promptly pursues a Tribunal appeal once it becomes available. Section 14 of the Limitation Act, read with Section 29(2), may support exclusion where due diligence and good faith are established. Condonation for sufficient cause under Section 112 of the CGST Act may be pleaded alternatively. Exclusion is not automatic and depends on the chronology, conduct in the writ proceedings, and terms of withdrawal.

Alleged unauthorised use of Aadhaar Registrar/EA Code credentials after termination of an operational engagement led the Delhi Construction and Other Workers Welfare Board to blacklist MDS Solution Pvt Ltd. UIDAI communication indicated that Aadhaar-related activity allegedly continued after cancellation through the Board's credentials. The Board lodged a police complaint, barred the firm from its tenders, procurement processes, empanelment and contract awards, and recommended consideration of action under applicable rules and policies.

Foreign-currency inflows through FCNR(B) deposits, overseas foreign-currency borrowings and external commercial borrowings strengthened foreign-exchange liquidity and supported appreciation of the rupee against the US dollar. Foreign portfolio investment in government securities was linked to the abolition of withholding tax and long-term capital gains tax on such investment. Currency-market conditions were also influenced by foreign institutional equity purchases, global risk appetite, crude-oil prices and geopolitical tensions.

Electric-vehicle adoption across road-transport segments is projected to reduce dependence on imported petrol and diesel, notwithstanding continuing battery imports. Accelerated electrification could reduce vehicle-related import expenditure substantially by 2050 because reduced oil imports are expected to exceed battery-import costs. Domestic cell-manufacturing capacity may further increase savings by combining rapid vehicle electrification with battery localisation.

Territorial Joint Commissioners must send a signed bilingual Welcome Letter by Registered Post with Acknowledgement Due to every newly registered taxpayer and record despatch and delivery particulars in the portal. Where postal delivery fails, the task must be forwarded to the Registering authority, which must issue a Show Cause Notice and conduct immediate physical verification of the declared place of business. Registration may be dropped or cancelled on the basis of the taxpayer's response and the physical-verification report.

The application window for one-time conversion of eligible Advance Authorisations under SION E-52 into Tariff Rate Quota authorisations for raw sugar imports is extended from 3 September 2026 to 7 September 2026, inclusive. Eligible holders may apply until 7 September 2026. All previously prescribed eligibility requirements and other conversion conditions, as amended, continue to apply, subject to the Foreign Trade Policy and applicable law.

Women's access to credit for livelihood expansion is to extend beyond Self-Help Groups to individual women members. Loan accessibility concerns include distance from bank branches, repeated visits to complete formalities, and inconsistent banking procedures. Regular State Rural Livelihood Mission meetings, bank participation, training, helplines, process improvements and coordination with bankers are intended to reduce barriers. Loan formalities are to be standardised across banks through a uniform process involving RBI and NABARD.