Home Case Index All Cases Central Excise Central Excise + AT Central Excise - 2018 (11) TMI AT This
Forgot password New User/ Regiser ⇒ Register to get Live Demo
2018 (11) TMI 829 - AT - Central ExciseImposition of penalty - suppression of alleged availment of inadmissible credit even after subsequent reversal upon audit noting before issue of show cause - Held that:- Admittedly, appellant’s availment of Cenvat credit which was held by the audit party is inadmissible is not being questioned in this appeal about its legality. In his Order-in-Appeal the commissioner has distinguished the appellant’s case in respect of earlier decisions concerning the appellant on similar issue passed by the adjudicating authority and he hold that previous audit cannot be taken as a plea of non-suppression. Section 11AC which deals with penalty on short levy or non levy of duty clearly indicates under 1(C) that such suppression of fact must have been done with intend to evade payment of duty and the intention of the appellant is found absent in the sense that its availment of allegedly inadmissible credit was previously subjected to scrutiny by the audit parties at least on three occasions as reveals from the audit report vide Exhibit (I), Exhibit (J) and Exhibit (K) of the period under dispute - appellant had not only reversed the credit which was held by the audit party as inadmissible but had also intimated the fact of such reversal by e-mail to the competent authority. Audit being one of the ways by which departmental authorities can bring the fact of inadmissibility of credit to the knowledge of the assessee on verification of its document for which no specific mode is prescribed in the statute for suo moto submission of Cenvat Credit documents or related information to Excise Department and self assessment mechanism being introduced, it cannot be said that any suppression of fact has been established against the appellant. Appeal allowed - decided in favor of appellant.
|