Section 32F - Procedure on receipt of an application under section 32E - Central Excise Act, 1944

Section 32F. Procedure on receipt of an application under section 32E.- (1) On receipt of an application under 5 [***] section 32E, the Settlement Commission shall, within seven days from the date of receipt of the application, issue a notice to the applicant to explain in writing as to why the application made by him should be allowed to be proceeded with, and after taking into consideration the explanation provided by the applicant, the Settlement Commission, shall, within a period of fourteen days from the date of the notice, by an order, allow the application to be proceeded with, or reject the application as the case may be, and the proceedings before the Settlement Commission shall abate on the date of rejection: Provided that where no notice has been issued or no order has been passed within the aforesaid period by the Settlement Commission, the application shall be deemed to have been allowed to be proceeded with. (2) A copy of every order under sub-section (1), shall be sent to the applicant and to the 3 [Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or] Commissioner of Central Excise having jurisdiction. (3) Where an application is allowed or deemed to have been allowed to be proceeded with under sub-section (1), the Settlement Commission shall, within seven days from the date of order under sub-section (1), call for a report along with the relevant records from the 3 [Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or] Commissioner of Central Excise having jurisdiction and the Commissioner shall furnish the report within a period of thirty days of the receipt of communication from the Settlement Commission: Provided that where the Commissioner does not furnish the report within the aforesaid period of thirty days, the Settlement Commission shall proceed further in the matter without the report of the Commissioner. (4) Where a report of the Commissioner called for under sub-section (3) has been furnished within the period specified in that sub-section, the Settlement Commission may, after examination of such report, if it is of the opinion that any further enquiry or investigation in the matter is necessary, direct, for reasons to be recorded in writing, the Commissioner (Investigation) within fifteen days of the receipt of the report, to make or cause to be made such further enquiry or investigation and furnish a report within a period of ninety days of the receipt of the communication from the Settlement Commission, on the matters covered by the application and any other matter relating to the case: Provided that where the Commissioner (Investigation) does not furnish the report within the aforesaid period, the Settlement Commission shall proceed to pass an order under sub-section (5) without such report. (5) After examination of the records and the report of the 3 [Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or] Commissioner of Central Excise received under sub-section (3), and the report, if any, of the Commissioner (Investigation) of the Settlement Commission under sub-section (4), and after giving an opportunity to the applicant and to the 3 [Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or] Commissioner of Central Excise having jurisdiction to be heard, either in person or through a representative duly authorised in this behalf, and after examining such further evidence as may be placed before it or obtained by it, the Settlement Commission may, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, pass such order as it thinks fit on the matters covered by the application and any other matter relating to the case not covered by the application, but referred to in the report of the 3 [Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or] Commissioner of Central Excise and Commissioner (Investigation) under sub-section (3) or sub-section (4). 6 [(5A) The Settlement Commission may, at any time within three months from the date of passing of the order under sub-section (5), amend such order to rectify any error apparent on the face of record, either suo motu or when such error is brought to its notice by the jurisdictional Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or Commissioner of Central Excise or the applicant: Provided that no amendment which has the effect of enhancing the liability of the applicant shall be made under this sub-section, unless the Settlement Commission has given notice of such intention to the applicant and the jurisdictional Principal Commissioner of Central Excise or Commissioner of Central Excise as the case may be, and has given them a reasonable opportunity of being heard.] (6) An order under sub-section (5) shall not be passed in respect of an application filed 4 [***] after nine months from the last day of the month in which the application was made, failing which the settlement proceedings shall abate, and the adjudicating authority before whom the proceeding at the time of making the application was pending, shall dispose of the case in accordance with the provisions of this Act as if no application under section 32E had been made. 2 [Provided that the period specified under this sub-section may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended by the Settlement Commission for a further period not exceeding three months.] (7) Subject to the provisions of section 32A, the materials brought on record before the Settlement Commission shall be considered by the Members of the concerned Bench before passing any order under sub-section (5) and, in relation to the passing of such order, the provisions of section 32D shall apply. (8) The order passed under sub-section (5) shall provide for the terms of settlement including any demand by way of duty, penalty or interest, the manner in which any sums due under the settlement shall be paid and all other matters to make the settlement effective and in case of rejection contain the reasons therefor and it shall also provide that the settlement shall be void if it is subsequently found by the Settlement Commission that it has been obtained by fraud, or misrepresentation of facts: Provided that the amount of settlement ordered by the Settlement Commission shall not be less than the duty liability admitted by the applicant under section 32E. (9) Where any duty, interest, fine and penalty payable in pursuance of an order under sub-section (5), is not paid by the assessee within thirty days of receipt of a copy of the order by him, the amount which remains unpaid, shall be recovered along with interest due thereon, as the sums due to the Central Government by the Central Excise Officer having jurisdiction over the assessee in accordance with the provisions of section 11. (10) Where a settlement becomes void as provided under sub-section (8), the proceedings with respect to the matters covered by the settlement shall be deemed to have been revived from the stage at which the application was allowed to be proceeded with by the Settlement Commission and the Central Excise Officer having jurisdiction may, notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, complete such proceedings at any time before the expiry of two years from the date of the receipt of communication that the settlement became void. ************************** Notes : 1. For Section 32E the above sections has been substituted by Finance Act 2007 with effect from 1st day of June, 2007 2. In sub-section (6), the proviso has been inserted vide Finance Act, 2010 w.e.f. 08.05.2010. 3. Inserted vide THE FINANCE (No. 2) ACT, 2014 4. Omitted vide THE FINANCE ACT, 2015 w.e.f. 14th May 2015, before it was read as, on or before the 31st day of May, 2007, later than the 29th day of February, 2008 and in respect of an application made on or after the 1st day of June, 2007, 5. Omitted vide The Finance Act 2017 before it was read as, sub-section (1) of 6. Inserted vide The Finance Act 2017