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2011 (3) TMI 1310 - HC - CustomsDifference in duty between the show cause notice and the admitted amount - Demand raised - Held that:- As the first respondent has failed to consider the report of the Commissioner (Investigation) and pass appropriate orders and simply shirked its duty by throwing the blame on the petitioner as if the petitioner had been making disclosures many a time each at variance with the other. As pointed out earlier there has been only one disclosure at the time of admission. The clarifications given by the petitioner is only at the time of investigation by the Commissioner (Investigation) who was duly authorised by the first respondent in terms of Section 127C(6). Such clarification or statement cannot be equated to disclosure. Therefore, it is for the first respondent to accept the disclosure originally made on the basis of the investigation report and come to the conclusion as to what will be the appropriate amount that should be demanded by way of duty and what will be the penalty and interest which should be levied for the purpose of settlement. In this case, this court finds that the Settlement Commission has grossly mislead by itself by failing to consider the investigation report which it had called for and thereby fell into error by accepting the untenable plea of the Revenue that there are inconsistencies in the disclosures. Such finding is based on no evidence and contrary to the records. Merely because there is a huge difference in duty between the show cause notice and the admitted amount, the case of the petitioner cannot be thrown out. As the first respondent failed to consider the vital and relevant documents viz., the investigation report which had been called for by the Settlement Commission before deciding the issue finally. The non-application of the mind of the first respondent on this vital relevant document clearly goes to the root of the matter. The order impugned suffers from error apparent on the face of the records - matter remitted back to the first respondent for reconsideration.
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