CESTAT – Chennai short of member
While a lot of hype is being made about the National Tax Tribunal for which one of the feeder cadres is the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), a sad commentary on the existence of the Tribunal is that the post of Member (Technical) in the Chennai Bench of the CESTAT is lying vacant since January last. Result – No Bench hearings (expect an occasional one with members from other benches flying in), piling up of appeals and stay petitions and the target hungry department resorting to coercive measures for recovery. No remedy? Who is responsible?