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2020 (3) TMI 565 - HC - GSTDetention of consignment alongwith vehicle - inter-state sale - Section 129(1) of the CGST Act, 2017 - principles of natural justice - HELD THAT:- Admittedly, it was mentioned in the order of detention of the vehicle and the consignment carried thereon from Karnataka to Hyderabad issued under Section 129(1) of the CGST Act, 2017 that the reason for such detention is ‘wrong destination’. Under the Act, this is not a ground to detain the vehicle carrying the goods or levy tax or penalty - Though it is stated that tax and penalty were levied and collected because it was presumed that at Jeedimetla, there was possibility of a local sale, a mere possibility cannot clothe the 1st respondent to take the impugned action. There is no material placed on record by the 1st respondent to show that any attempt was made by the petitioner to deliver the goods at a different place and sell in the local market evading CGST and SGST, because it was found at Jeedimetla. It is not as if the detention was affected by the 1st respondent after noticing any such attempt to sell the goods in the local market by the petitioner. There was no warrant to detain the vehicle along with goods, demand payment of ₹ 4,16,447/- as tax and penalty under the CGST and SGST Act, 2017 - Since petitioner could not contest it owing to the wedding ceremony in his family at that point of time in order to be able to secure the release of the vehicle carrying the goods at the instance of the driver of the vehicle, such payment has to be presumed as one made due to economic duress and the petitioner cannot be blamed for paying the same without protest, when he had no choice but to pay it. There were no good and sufficient reasons for detention by the 1st respondent of the vehicle and the goods which it was carrying when the transaction causing movement of the goods was inter-State in nature and the provisions of the SGST were not shown to have been violated. Also, there is no warrant to levy any penalty since it cannot be said that there is any willfulness in the conduct of the dealer - the impugned action of the respondents in collecting the amount of ₹ 4,16,447/- from the petitioner towards tax and penalty under the CGST and SGST Act, 2017 under threat of detention of the vehicle carrying the said goods for an absurd reason (‘wrong destination’) when the vehicle in question carried all the proper documents evidencing that it was an inter-State sale transaction is clearly arbitrary, violative of Articles 14, 265 and 300-A of the Constitution of India. Petition allowed.
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