CESTAT Quashes Excise Duty Demand Against Wipro Over Tamil Nadu Govt's Free Laptop Scheme

The Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) in Chennai on Wednesday quashed the excise department's demand for additional duty from Wipro Ltd., ruling that the company's supply of laptops to the Tamil Nadu government for free distribution to students cannot be treated as a commercial sale and therefore cannot be taxed at retail price. A two-member bench comprising...

Casual Absence Of Govt Officials Not “Sufficient Cause” To Condone Delay In Challenging Arbitral Award: HP High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has dismissed an application filed by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board seeking condonation of delay in filing objections against an arbitral award passed in favour of HCL Infotech Ltd., holding that bureaucratic delays and internal movement of files do not constitute sufficient cause for delay.Rejecting the State's contention, the Court remarked...

GST Levy On Group Health Insurance Policies Challenged; Kerala High Court Grants Interim Relief To Union Bank Pensioners

The Kerala High Court has granted interim relief to retired employees of the Union Bank by allowing them to renew their group health insurance policies without paying the 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the premium.The Court passed the interim order in a writ petition filed by Vinod Mukundan and others, including the All India Union Bank Pensioners & Retirees Federation, challenging...

Compassionate Appointment, Acceptance Of Lower Post Under Financial Distress Doesn't Bar claim For Higher : J&K HC

A Division bench of the J&K HC comprising Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Sanjay Parihar held that the principle of estoppel does not apply when a compassionate appointment to a lower post is accepted under financial duress and immediately challenged by the applicant who possessed the requisite qualifications. Background Facts The applicant's father was working as an...

Customs Act | Excel Sheet Recovered From Assessee's Email Can Be Relied Upon For Valuation Even Without S.138C Certificate: CESTAT

The New Delhi Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that an Excel sheet recovered from the email account of the assessee can be relied upon to determine the value of imported goods, even without a certificate under Section 138C of the Customs Act, 1962. Section 138C of the Customs Act, 1962 would apply if the information is printed from...

Balco Disinvestment: Delhi High Court Upholds Arbitral Award Voiding Centre & Vedanta Shareholder's Pact

After over a decade of legal tussle, the Delhi High Court recently upheld an arbitral award declaring the Shareholders' Agreement (SHA) between Vedanta Limited (then Sterlite Industries) and the Union of India void, which had given Vedanta the exclusive right to buy the government's remaining 49% stake in Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) after a three-year lock-in period. The...

CBDT Extends Deadlines For Filing Of Income Tax Return In Audit Cases For A.Y. 2025-26


The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the due date of furnishing of the Return of Income and tax audit reports for the Assessment Year (A.Y.) 2025-26.The revised due dates for submitting audit reports and Income Tax Returns are November 10, 2025 and December 10, 2025, respectively. The CBDT announced that the due date for furnishing the Income Tax Return under Section 139(1)...

Mumbai ITAT Quashes ₹445 Crore Transfer Pricing Adjustment Against Netflix India

The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) Mumbai has recently set aside a Rs 445 crore transfer pricing adjustment on Netflix India for financial year 2021-22, rejecting the Revenue's claim that the company, as a licensee of its streamed content, owed higher taxes.The authorities had imposed the tax because they treated Netflix India, the Indian arm of US-based streaming giant Netflix, as...

Monetary Compensation Must Be Granted From Date Of Application When Compassionate Appointment Is Denied: Jharkhand HC

A Division bench of the Jharkhand High Court comprising Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar held that if compassionate appointment is denied then employer must grant the monetary compensation from date of application for the compassionate appointment. Background Facts The employee was a Piece Rated worker at Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) Dhori...

Petition U/S 34 A&C Act Filed With Deficit Court Fee Is Non-Est Unless Paid Within Limitation Period: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court held that filing of a petition with deficit court fee does not amount to proper presentation. If the entire court fee is not deposited within the limitation period under section 34(3) Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (Arbitration Act), the court is divested of its power to condone the delay. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh held that "filing of a petition...

Test Of Prejudice Irrelevant When Tribunal Is Constituted Without Consent Of JV Partner: Madras High Court Sets Aside Arbitral Award

The Madras High Court set aside an arbitral award passed against M/s Nilakantan & Brothers Constructions Pvt. Ltd. (“the petitioner”) on the ground that since the arbitral tribunal was constituted without obtaining the consent of a Joint Venture Partner, it lacked jurisdiction. The court further held that the appointment cannot be validated merely on the ground that no...

AO Cannot Rely Solely On Sales Tax Dept Data To Add Bogus Purchases Without Granting Cross-Examination: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that the Assessing Officer (AO) cannot rely solely on Sales Tax Department Data for an income tax addition without granting cross-examination.Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe stated that, "when the VAT assessment was pending adjudication, merely relying on the information of the Sales Tax Department without granting an opportunity to the Assessee...