9911796707
TMI Blog2020 (3) TMI 1102X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ises Limited (for short, "the Company") of which, the appellant was the Managing Director. The appellant filed his reply to the said show-cause notice on 10.6.2004, inter alia, contending that the Company had purchased 2 Nos. of Water Cooled Screw Chiller Unit Model and other accessories for a cost of 374000 FRF from Carrier S.A. of France and Air Handling and Fan Coil Unit for US$ 35766 from Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, New York. The import was done under Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Licence under Open General Licence (OGL). The goods were imported, but kept in warehouse, as the Company, which at the relevant time was under Mr. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and others, failed to take steps to get the goods released. The appellant took over the project only in July, 2002 and afterwards, he spent nearly 5 crores of rupees for the project work. Due to financial constraints, in February, 2003, a request was made to Tourism Finance Corporation of India Limited (TFCI) for sanction of a bank guarantee of Rs. 40,00,000/( Rupees forty lakhs only) to get the shipment in question cleared from the Customs Department, but for the reasons beyond the control of the Company and the appellant ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... appellant carried the matter in appeal before the Special Director (Appeals), FEMA & Commissioner of Income Tax, Delhi being Appeal Nos. SD(A)/Kol/04/05/112 and SD(A)/Kol/04/05/113. The appellate authority vide order dated 13.6.2005 dismissed both the appeals and was pleased to uphold the decision of the adjudicating authority. After adverting to the admitted facts, the appellate authority proceeded to consider the requirements of the relevant provisions necessitating submission of Bill of Entry to effectuate the remittance and complete the import of the goods for which the remittance was made. The appellate authority observed as follows: " 7. As per the provisions of Section 10(6) of FEMA, the foreign exchange acquired from an authorized dealer has to be utilized for the purpose it was released or otherwise it should have been surrendered to the authorized dealer. The Regulation 6(1) in the FEMA (Realisation, Repatriation & Surrender of Foreign Exchange) Regulation 2000 issued by RBI on 3.5.2000, prescribe that the transaction should be completed within a period of sixty days from the date of acquisition or purchase of foreign exchange. The RBI has issued a master circular No. ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... eport for the year 200304, it is seen that loans of Rs. 7.33 crores were taken and invested a capital workinprogress shown at Rs. 13.07 crores. The company also advanced Rs. 1.20 crores Substantial investment was made in the capital work including air conditioners, furniture and electrical installation, etc, etc. In spite of availability of sufficient funds during this period the appellant company did not take any step to take delivery of the imported goods which are lying in the warehouse since 2000. Note was given in Schedule 11 to the annual accounts that the liability against bank guarantee and customs duty in respect of import of air conditioning plant was not provided in the accounts. The sequence of such events clearly show that the appellant company and its Managing Director responsible for running the company did not take reasonable steps of delivery of the imported goods so warehoused and thereafter to submit bill of entry to the authorized dealer. 10. It is therefore evident that the appellants did not comply with the requirements of section 10(6) of FEMA, RBI regulation dt. 3.5.2000 and circular dt. 24.8.2000, supra. Even when the show cause notice was issued by the ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... noted the rival submissions and observed thus: " After hearing the learned Counsel for the parties and after going through the materials on record placed before us, we are of the opinion that the violation which has been done by the appellant/petitioner, cannot be stated to be a technical violation and it is well-settled law that contravention of the said Act or Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 has created a strict liability. The violation of these two Acts would come within the meaning of economic offence and cannot be treated as technical offence. Hence, in our considered opinion, after initial committal and/or contravention of Section 10(6) of the said Act, the violation continues till the time, compliance is made. Therefore, we hold that taking over the charge of the appellate company in the year 2002, cannot absolve the appellant from the liability and, in our considered opinion, the appellant company correctly held as guilty on the face of the continuance of the offence. Hence, we are of the considered opinion that the Learned Tribunal correctly came to the conclusion and we do not find that there is any reason whatsoever to interfere with the order so passed b ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ppellant from the complaint action could be examined. 8. In other words, the core issue that needs to be considered in the present appeal is limited to the defence of the appellant that he could not be made responsible for the stated contravention. For, he became the Managing Director of the Company much later i.e. on 22.10.2001. For examining that argument, we may have to advert to Sections 10(5) and 10(6) of the FEMA Act. The same read thus: " 10. Authorised person. xxx xxx xxx (5) An authorised person shall, before undertaking any transaction in foreign exchange on behalf of any person, require that person to make such declaration and to give such information as will reasonably satisfy him that the transaction will not involve, and is not designed for the purpose of any contravention or evasion of the provisions of this Act or of any rule, regulation, notification, direction or order made thereunder, and where the said person refuses to comply with any such requirement or makes only unsatisfactory compliance therewith, the authorised person shall refuse in writing to undertake the transaction and shall, if he has reason to believe that any such contravention or evasio ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... eading of Section 10(5) envisages that the authorised person before undertaking any transaction in foreign exchange on behalf of any person, must require that person to make a declaration and to give such information as will reasonably satisfy the authorised person that the transaction will not involve, and is not designated for the purpose of any contravention or evasion of the provisions of the FEMA Act or of any rule, regulation, notification, direction or order made thereunder. If such satisfaction is not reached, the authorised person need not proceed with the proposed transaction and must report about the same to the Reserve Bank. 9. The real provision which needs to be reckoned for answering the controversy brought before this Court is Section 10(6) of the FEMA Act. This provision is a deeming provision pointing towards the specified circumstances, which would result in having committed contravention of the provisions of the FEMA Act or for the purpose of the stated Section. The specified circumstances are (i) when a person acquires or purchases foreign exchange for any purpose mentioned in the declaration made by him to authorised person does not use it for such purpose; ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... nge is in the form of currency notes and coins; and (ii). within one hundred eighty days from the date of return of the traveller to India, when the unspent foreign exchange is in the form of travellers cheques." The appellant has placed reliance on the text of Section 42 of the FEMA Act to bolster his argument that only such person who was in charge of the Company at the time the contravention was committed, would be responsible for the action. 11. The High Court has opined that the contravention referred to in Section 10(6) by its very nature is a continuing offence. We agree with that view. It is indisputable that the penalty provided for such contravention is on account of civil obligation under the FEMA Act or the rules or regulations or direction or order made thereunder. If the delinquency is a civil obligation, the defaulter is obligated to make efforts by payment of the penalty imposed for such contravention. So long as the imported goods remained uncleared and obligation provided under the rules and regulations to submit Bill of Entry was not discharged, the contravention would continue to operate until corrective steps were taken by the Company and the persons in ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... l and criminal, under the same Act." As aforementioned, the contravention referred to in Section 10(6) of the FEMA Act is a continuing actionable offence. If so, the Company and the persons managing the affairs of the Company remain liable to take corrective measures in right earnest. Considering the admitted fact that the appellant took over the management of the Company on 22.10.2001 and was fully alive to the default committed by the Company, yet failed to take corrective steps in right earnest. Notably, being conscious of such contravention, the appellant had sought indulgence of the authorities for more time. It must follow that the appellant cannot now be heard to contend that no liability could be fastened on him individually. Indeed, regulation 6 of the FEMA Regulations provides for the period within which the foreign exchange ought to be surrendered if the Company was not wanting to take delivery of the goods imported. That, however, does not mean that the contravention ceased to exist beyond the specified period. On the other hand, after the specified period as predicated in regulation 6 had expired, it would be a case of deemed contravention until rectified. 12. It i ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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