M/S. Shoeline v. Commissioner of Service Tax and Ors.
Case brief
What is this about?
Supreme Court of India, Civil Appeal No. 10214 of 2017 (A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, JJ.; judgment by A.K. Sikri, J.), decided August 10, 2017, against the Madras High Court Division Bench final order dated 22.06.2016 in W.A. No. 790 of 2013. Service tax on commission paid to overseas agents under 'Business Auxiliary Service' for 09.07.2004–31.03.2006 was held not payable, liability arising only from 18.04.2006 upon insertion of s.66A Finance Act, 1994 (declaration of law / judgment in rem). A writ petition filed four years after the Joint Commissioner's confirmation order dated 27.02.2008, without any statutory appeal and after paying Rs. 11,62,728/- in instalments, was barred by delay and laches: a fence-sitter watching other litigations acquires no cause of action from them, and the Ministry of Finance circular dated 26.09.2011 (confined to 'pending disputes') did not help. Refund of tax paid was denied, but the demand was set aside qua interest and penalty; appeal partly allowed, no costs. Relied on State of U.P. v. Arvind Kumar Srivastava (2015) 1 SCC 347, Rup Diamonds v. Union of India (1989) 2 SCC 356 and Harwindra Kumar v. Chief Engineer, Karmik (2005) 5 Suppl. SCR 317; referred to Haryana State Handloom (2003) 12 SCC 538 and U.P. Jal Nigam v. Jaswant Singh (2006) 11 SCC 464; distinguished M/s D. Cawasji v. State of Mysore (1975) 1 SCC 636.