1996 (7) TMI 327 - AT - Central Excise

Summary

Issues:
1. Whether the demand for wrongly taken credit on printed aluminium collapsible tubes is justified.
2. Whether the demand raised is barred by limitation.
3. Whether penalty imposition is warranted.

Analysis:
1. The appeal challenged the Order-in-Original that demanded Rs. 40,808.31 for wrongly taken credit on printed aluminium collapsible tubes returned as rejects. The appellants claimed the tubes were declared inputs and received back for reprinting after initial manufacturing. The adjudicating authority rejected this explanation, confirmed the demand, and imposed a penalty of Rs. 10,000.

2. The appellant argued that the demand was time-barred since they had disclosed the receipt of rejected material in their RT 12 returns filed on 5-1-1987, which were approved on 7-7-1987. The approval included checking the validity of duty credit taken, precluding the invocation of the extended period for alleging suppression. The time-bar defense, though not raised earlier, could be considered at the appellate stage without additional evidence.

3. The respondent contended that the declaration for collapsible tubes as inputs did not cover the rejected printed collapsible tubes, as the final products could not be considered inputs. However, due to the demand being held as time-barred, the issue of whether the printed tubes were covered in the declaration became moot. Consequently, the demand was deemed unsustainable, and the penalty was set aside.

4. Ultimately, the tribunal ruled in favor of the appellant, stating that the demand was time-barred, and the extended period for invoking suppression was not applicable. As a result, the demand was deemed unsustainable, and the penalty imposition was overturned. The order-in-original was set aside, and the appeal was allowed, granting consequential reliefs.