Capital-gains computation for an unquoted equity-share transfer uses the consideration actually received or accruing from that transfer; a notional value may replace it only under an express statutory fiction. The prescribed fair-market-value substitution did not apply where the declared consideration exceeded fair market value. Demat records and contemporaneous delivery instructions established completion of the earlier transfer, and later settlement of the purchaser's liability could not alter its transfer date or consideration. A subsequent transfer under a different ownership and contractual structure could not substitute its consideration for the earlier transaction, particularly where conditions had not crystallised the final price. The capital-gains addition was therefore deleted.

Section 54EC exemption for long-term capital gains may apply where specified bonds are purchased within six months of transfer across two financial years. For Assessment Year 2013-14, the investment ceiling operated independently for each financial year when the six-month period overlapped them, rather than as a single transaction-wide cap. The later amendment imposing an aggregate cap for the year of transfer and the succeeding financial year did not apply. Accordingly, restricting the exemption to one financial year's ceiling was set aside and the disallowance was deleted.

Scheduled Tribe income exemption applies only where the taxpayer establishes income from a valid, bona fide source within the statutory conditions. Cash deposits treated as unexplained money do not become exempt solely because the taxpayer is a Scheduled Tribe member residing in a specified State. Bank statements, without books of account or other evidence establishing the source, are insufficient to prove the character of deposits. Consequently, additions for unexplained cash deposits remain taxable and the claimed exemption is unavailable.

Technical expert opinion in customs classification and exemption disputes must be meaningfully evaluated where eligibility depends on physical inspection and component-level analysis. An adjudicating authority cannot reject such opinion through its own technical perception without a reasoned technical rebuttal supported by comparable expert or scientific material. The order denying concessional customs duty for Battery Management Systems and Cell Supervisory Circuits was quashed and remanded for fresh adjudication, with liberty to obtain a counter-expert opinion. Writ jurisdiction was exercised despite an alternative appellate remedy because the specialised technical opinion had been disregarded without a reasoned technical basis.

Burden of proof for reclassification rests on Revenue where imported lead-bearing powder is proposed to be classified as lead waste and scrap rather than declared lead concentrate. Conflicting scientific reports that identify principally lead oxide and lead sulphate, with only negligible metallic lead, do not conclusively establish classification under tariff item 78020090. Heading 7802 concerns lead in metallic or primary form, while lead oxide and lead sulphate fall separately within Chapter 28. Technical literature and import-export descriptions cannot displace the declared classification without reliable scientific proof of the goods' identity.

For an RBI-regulated NBFC, breach of binding prudential norms may constitute conduct prejudicial to the company or public interest when assessed cumulatively with related-party dealings, inadequate compliance controls and governance failures. Regulatory penalties do not necessarily preclude oppression and mismanagement jurisdiction, because regulatory supervision and corporate-protection remedies address distinct concerns. Transactions involving related parties require demonstrable approval, documentation, security and recovery arrangements; retrospective omnibus approval may not validate earlier transactions. Resignations of compliance personnel and removal of independent directors may be relevant indicators of weakened governance safeguar.....

Operational debt may arise from an advance paid for goods where a consortium agreement assigns supply obligations to the corporate debtor and other evidence establishes the commercial nexus; an invoice is not indispensable. Receipt of the advance, cheques issued by the corporate debtor, and a later withdrawn invoice supported characterisation as payment for supplies rather than an unsupported security deposit. A pre-existing dispute must exist before the demand notice; post-notice objections and account-reconciliation assertions do not suffice. The insolvency application was revived for admission, subject to a time-bound opportunity for the corporate debtor to prove payment.

Taxable value of commercial training and coaching excludes separately supplied study material, hostel accommodation, mess facilities and ancillary collections lacking a nexus to coaching. Study material, treated as a distinct sale through separate invoicing and accounting, qualified for the pre-negative-regime exemption where no input credit was availed. Other fees require allocation by their actual nature, with non-taxable components excluded and unresolved allocations re-determined. Receivable entries alone did not establish unpaid tax, and the department had to prove that ancillary income arose from taxable service. Rental to a qualifying educational institution was exempt. Extended limitation failed absent suppression, and reasonable cause supported penalty relief. Service tax remained applicable only to tuition charges where applicable.

Revenue cannot treat Business Auxiliary Services supplied to a foreign recipient as non-exported for Rule 5 CENVAT-credit refund purposes while not seeking recovery of service tax on the inconsistent premise that those same services were taxable in India. Category III services supplied in relation to business or commerce qualify as exports where the recipient is outside India and the benefit accrues outside India, even if activities are performed in India. Accumulated CENVAT-credit refund claims are therefore admissible for qualifying services.

Comparable-service valuation under service-tax rules requires comparison between service recipients who stand on the same footing. Flats and a commercial unit allotted without monetary consideration to existing occupants under a redevelopment arrangement could not be valued by reference to sale prices of flats sold to new buyers, because the two recipient groups were not comparable. Since service tax had already been discharged on flats sold to new buyers, the demand based on an assumed value for allotments to existing occupants was unsustainable. The service-tax demand, consequential interest and penalty were set aside.

Tax audit applicability is raised for a business opting for presumptive taxation where turnover is approximately Rs. 1.37 crore and cash receipts and payments exceed 5% of the respective totals. Presumptive income is declared above the prescribed rate, while commission income is separately reported outside the presumptive scheme. Return validation indicates tax audit applicability based on turnover and cash-transaction conditions.

Sugar retail and wholesale prices remained elevated despite measures intended to curb price increases, including duty-free imports of raw sugar, tighter stockholding norms for bulk users and dealers, and a prohibition on sugar exports. Ex-mill rates declined following the permitted duty-free imports, although customary margins continued between ex-mill, wholesale, and retail prices. Projected sugar production is lower than earlier estimates, while annual domestic demand remains substantial.

Aadhaar-based OTP verification will be extended to additional vehicle- and driving-licence-related services through the Vahan and Sarathi portals. The digital arrangement is intended to reduce physical visits to transport offices, prevent intermediary exploitation arising from delayed processing, and enable applications to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Physical attendance will remain necessary for vehicle inspections, identification of legal heirs, personal hearings, and authentication where Aadhaar OTP verification fails.

Dissenting lenders challenged the admission and voting rights of five creditors alleged to be family-linked associate or related entities, contending that their voting share enabled approval of a personal insolvency repayment plan. They alleged invalid post-moratorium guarantee invocations, undisclosed liabilities, inadequate claim scrutiny and incorrect voting-share computation. The third member rejected the voting-rights challenge, treating associate status as requiring the debtor's personal majority shareholding or direct board control, and accepted the repayment plan.

NEET-PG 2026 examination continuity was disrupted for candidates at two Jaipur centres because of internal power-supply failures attributable to the technological partner and examination-conducting agency. A re-examination has been scheduled for the affected candidates, with the venue and revised admit cards to be communicated separately. Action against the entities responsible for ensuring adequate examination infrastructure is under consideration.

Delhi Lakshmi Yojana provides monthly financial assistance to eligible women through recurring deposits and restricted Central Bank Digital Currency wallets. Recurring deposits are locked until July 31, 2029, subject to possible review of the maturity period after two years from launch. Eligibility requires a qualifying woman to be the eldest female family member, meet income, residence and voter-registration requirements, and satisfy household restrictions. Income-tax payers, GST filers, government employees, higher-electricity-consuming households and four-wheeler-owning households are excluded.

GST treatment of a cross charge or mortgage securing related-party borrowings depends on whether the company has independently undertaken to discharge the borrower's debt. Where the arrangement only creates collateral security over company assets, without a corporate guarantee or equivalent payment obligation, it is security rather than a corporate guarantee. The valuation provisions specifically applicable to corporate guarantees, including Rule 28(2), do not apply merely because a charge or mortgage exists. Executed facility, security and guarantee arrangements require examination for any such undertaking.

Russian refinery disruption has increased gasoline imports and made India a significant supplier of gasoline to Russia. Indian supplies were principally linked to the Vadinar refinery, and increased Indian purchases of Russian crude may mean exported gasoline was produced from Russian crude. Russia has retained a gasoline export ban while domestic production remains disrupted. India-origin cargoes imported during August were carried on sanctioned fleets and involved dark ship-to-ship transfers, including transfers conducted with automatic identification system signals switched off.

Suo motu consideration of digital-arrest fraud reflects a proactive judicial response to video-call scams involving impersonation of police, judicial officials or bureaucrats. The Union and the States have been directed to assess the problem, with a call for a distinct offence carrying proportionate penalties. Economic-crime enforcement remains subject to safeguards requiring written grounds of arrest and preventing pre-trial detention from becoming punishment. Due process, proportionality and the presumption of innocence remain central constraints.

Natural justice in regulatory licensing enforcement requires a meaningful hearing, proper legal analysis, and a reasoned decision before licence cancellation or suspension. Maharashtra FDA withdrew cancellation of drug-sale licences after criticism of the procedure adopted. Food-safety enforcement against restaurants was also reconsidered where the premises were substantially compliant, despite licences being issued to one entity and operations being conducted by another. A fresh notice, hearing on the contractual arrangement, and reasoned order were required before further licensing action.