1999 (12) TMI 811 - AT - Central Excise

Summary

Issues: Application for waiver of pre-deposit of duty and penalty; Compliance with provisions of Section 35F of the Central Excise Act.

Analysis:
1. The appeal was dismissed by the Commissioner of Central Excise (Appeals) due to non-compliance with the provisions of Section 35F of the Central Excise Act. The appellants filed an appeal against the adjudication order along with an application for waiver of pre-deposit of duty and penalty. The Commissioner directed the appellants to deposit the entire duty amount, which they did by debiting the amount in question in their R.G. 23C Pt. II account and informing the Commissioner accordingly. However, the appeal was still dismissed without considering this compliance. The Tribunal in a previous case held that such a debit should be considered as compliance with the stay order for duty deposit, as the credit in the account could be used for duty payment. Consequently, the deposit of duty and penalty was waived for the appeal hearing, and the matter was set for final disposal with the agreement of both parties.

2. The appellants informed the Commissioner (Appeals) of their compliance with the stay order by debiting the amount in their R.G. 23C Pt. II account. Relying on the Tribunal's decision in a similar case, the debit in the account was deemed a proper compliance with the stay order issued by the Commissioner of Central Excise (Appeals). Therefore, the order dismissing the appeal for non-compliance under Section 35F of the Central Excise Act was overturned, and the case was remanded back to the Commissioner (Appeals) for a fresh decision on the merits after providing the appellants with a personal hearing opportunity. The appeal was disposed of accordingly.