2000 (10) TMI 703 - AT - Central Excise

Summary

Issues Involved:
Classification of goods under the Central Excise Tariff Schedule, invocation of extended period of limitation under Section 11A of the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944, suppression of facts by the assessee, deliberate intention to evade payment of central excise duty.

Classification of Goods:
The appeal involved a dispute over the classification of goods under the Central Excise Tariff Schedule. The Department alleged that the appellants had misclassified parts of material handling equipments, leading to a demand for differential duty. The jurisdictional Collector upheld the classification under a specific sub-heading, rejecting the appellants' claims. The appellants argued that they had correctly informed the Department about the manufacturing process and parts used in fabrication. The Tribunal found that the appellants had provided accurate descriptions in their classification list and had not suppressed any material facts from the Department. The Tribunal referenced previous decisions to support the argument that correct description of goods in the classification list prevents the invocation of extended limitation periods.

Extended Period of Limitation:
The Department invoked the extended period of limitation under the proviso to Section 11A of the Act, alleging suppression of facts and deliberate intention to evade duty by the assessee. The appellants contended that the extended period was not applicable as they had not suppressed any material facts and had correctly disclosed information to the Department. The Tribunal examined the documents submitted by the appellants, including classification lists, manufacturing procedure charts, RT-12 returns, and contracts provided to the Department. Based on the evidence, the Tribunal concluded that there was no deliberate intention to evade duty and that the extended period of limitation was not applicable in this case. Therefore, the entire demand of duty was held to be time-barred.

Suppression of Facts:
The Department alleged that the assessee had suppressed material facts, specifically regarding the classification of goods and purchase orders/contracts with customers, to evade payment of duty. The appellants refuted these allegations, stating that they had accurately disclosed information through various submissions to the Department. The Tribunal found no evidence of deliberate suppression of facts by the assessee and noted that the Collector's decision was based on a perceived intention to evade duty without supporting evidence. As a result, the Tribunal held that the extended limitation period was not applicable and the demand of duty was barred by limitation.

In conclusion, the Appellate Tribunal CEGAT, New Delhi allowed the appeal filed by M/s. Elecon (Madras) Ltd. on the grounds that the extended period of limitation under Section 11A of the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944 was not invokable against the assessee. The Tribunal found that the assessee had not suppressed any material facts and had provided accurate descriptions of goods, leading to the entire demand of duty being time-barred.