Recovery of Confirmed Demands - HC Continues to grant stay of recovery
IN spite of several High Courts granting stay of recovery though not staying the Draconian New Year Circular, Revenue is still continuing with its intimidatory actions and forcing assessees to approach the High Courts.
In a recent case, the AP High Court observed, "In some of the writ petitions a Circular dated 1-1-2013 issued by the Central Board of Excise and Customs, New Delhi has been challenged, whereunder a generic directive is issued to Revenue to initiate recovery proceedings 30 days after filing of the appeal, if no stay were granted. Learned counsel for the petitioners however do not wish to pursue the challenge to the Circular in these writ petitions and are satisfied if this Court were to dispose of the writ petitions directing Revenue not to initiate coercive measures till the Tribunal takes up and disposes of the applications preferred by them, seeking waiver of the pre-deposit under Section 35-F of the Central Excise Act, 1944"
The High Court directed, in the context of the current ineffectual functioning of the Tribunal, a fact not disputed by the Revenue, the writ petitions disposed of directing the respondents not to initiate any coercive measures for recovery of the Central Excise liability or Service Tax liability or interest and penalties, as the case may be, as assessed in the Orders-in-Original or as confirmed in the appeals, as the case may be, pending disposal of the applications filed by the petitioners for waiver of pre-deposit and wherever filed, the applications for stay of the Central Excise or Service Tax, interest and penalties, as the case may be. The liability of the petitioners to remit the tax, interest and penalties, as assessed or confirmed, as the case may be, shall be subject to orders to be passed by the Tribunal in the interlocutory applications preferred by the petitioners.