Justice Raghuram to be CESTAT President
WE are informed that Justice Goda Raghuram who just retired yesterday as Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court has been appointed as President of CESTAT. Justice Raghuram was heading the Tax Bench of the AP High Court for quite some time. A No-Nonsense Judge, Justice Raghuram had been a judge of the High Court for the last 14 years. His command over tax matters is commendable and he is recognised as an expert in Constitutional Law. A strict but kind judge, who would give a patient hearing to the Lawyers appearing before him, but would not budge an inch as far as the Law or procedure is concerned, Justice Raghuram brings to the CESTAT experience of a tax expert and sagacity of a Solomon.
CESTAT is not really in good shape and badly needs a respectable leader, which we hope Justice Raghuram would eminently provide. With the appointment of Justice Raghuram as President of CESTAT, assessees and advocates of Andhra Pradesh are hopeful of a CESTAT Bench at Hyderabad, which it seems is already sanctioned, but for which the former President Justice Ajit Bharihoke was not very keen.
TIOL wishes Justice Raghuram all the best in his new illustrious job.