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Issues involved: Challenge to legality of show cause notice for recovery of countervailing duty on imported polyamide chips.
Summary: The petitioners challenged the legality of a show cause notice issued by the Superintendent, Central Excise, calling for the recovery of countervailing duty on imported polyamide chips used in manufacturing nylon yarn. The petitioners argued that they were exempt from paying countervailing duty based on a notification issued by the Central Government. The respondents did not oppose the claim, and the Court examined the provisions of Section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, regarding the levy of countervailing duty. The Court accepted the petitioners' argument that the imported polyamide chips were exempt from excise duty as per the notification, and therefore, countervailing duty could not be levied. The Court rejected the Department's contentions that the petitioners should first show cause before the Superintendent, Central Excise, as the proposed duty was unsupportable. The Court also dismissed the argument that the exemption notification under the Central Excise Rules could not be used to claim an advantage under the Customs Tariff Act. Furthermore, the Court found that the conditions mentioned in the exemption notification were satisfied by the petitioners, and the show cause notice was misconceived. As a result, the Court quashed the notice and restrained the respondents from levying countervailing duty on the imported polyamide chips. The petitioners were relieved from the Bank Guarantee and bond related to the duty amount, and they were allowed to pursue separate proceedings for the alleged excess Customs duty paid on the import. In conclusion, the Court ruled in favor of the petitioners, quashing the show cause notice and preventing the recovery of countervailing duty on the imported polyamide chips, while also discharging the related Bank Guarantee and bond. The petitioners were granted liberty to seek recovery of any excess Customs duty paid separately.
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