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2025 DAILYLAW 21540 (ALL)

M/S PARAMOUNT EVENTS AND MARKETING v. STATE OF U.P. AND 2 OTHERS

WTAX/1128/2025 · 2025-03-19

Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Donadi Ramesh

body2025

Judgment text

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Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC:40575-DB Court No. - 29 Case :- WRIT TAX No. - 1128 of 2025 Petitioner :- M/S Paramount Events And Marketing Respondent :- State Of U.P. And 2 Others Counsel for Petitioner :- Vedika Nath,Yashonidhi Shukla Counsel for Respondent :- C.S.C. Hon'ble Ashwani Kumar Mishra,J. Hon'ble Donadi Ramesh,J. 1. This petition is directed against order dated 22.08.2024 (Annexure-1 to the petition) passed by the State Tax Officer, State Tax, Kanpur under Section 73 of the U.P.G.S.T. Act, 2017 ('the Act') for the tax period April, 2019 - March, 2020. 2. Submission is made that petitioner was issued notice under Section 61 of the Act intimating discrepancies in the return after scrutiny on 02.03.2024, which was uploaded on the Additional Tab of the portal, the petitioner on account of such uploading was not aware of the said notice and as such, could not file response to the same. Whereafter, show cause notice under Section 73 of the Act was issued on 25.05.2024, which again was uploaded on the Additional Tab and reply was required to be filed on 24.06.2024. However, it was indicated that no personal hearing would be provided. 3. Argument is made that on account of uploading of notice on incorrect Tab on the portal, the petitioner was not aware of the proceedings, which resulted in passing of the order dated 22.08.2024 under Section 73(9) of the Act whereby huge demand has been created against the petitioner. 4. It is further submitted that the order passed under Section 73(9) of the Act, is contrary to the requirement of Section 75(6) of the Act wherein it is required of the adjudicating officer to set out relevant facts and basis of his decision whereas, the order impugned has been passed without indicating any reason whatsoever and on that count also the order impugned is bad and deserves to be set aside. 5. Learned counsel for the respondents made submissions that plea raised regarding uploading of the notices under Section 61 and 73 of the Act in the wrong Tab apparently now has no basis as on 22.07.2024 a reminder was issued to the petitioner qua which, specific indications in the portal have been made since 16.01.2024 and therefore, the plea raised in this regard has no substance. The petitioner has chosen not to respond to the notices and therefore, passing of the order impugned does not call for any interference. 6. We have considered the submissions made by counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record. 7. The plea raised pertaining to purported wrong uploading of the notices, apparently loses significance once post 16.01.2024 the reminder has been issued to the petitioner. However, a bare look at the order impugned dated 22.08.2024 reveals that the same only makes reference to issuance of two notices, the fact that they have not been responded and a demand has been raised. 8. The manner of passing of order dated 22.08.2024 falls foul of the requirements of Section 75(6) of the Act, which requires that 'the proper officer, in his order shall set out the relevant facts and the basis of his decision', the statutory requirements for passing an order by setting out relevant facts and basis of the decision are totally missing from the order dated 22.08.2024. Even if no response was filed to the notices under Section 61 and 73 of the Act, it was incumbent on the respondent no. 2 to pass an order in compliance of provisions of Section 75(6) of the Act as a final order should be self contained and merely making reference to the previous notice while passing the said order does not suffice for making it a self contained order. 9. Consequently, the petition is allowed. The order dated 22.08.2024 (Annexure-1 to the petition) is quashed and set aside. The matter is remanded back to respondent no. 3/State Tax Officer, State Tax, Kanpur to provide an opportunity of filing response to the show cause notice issued under Section 73 of the Act to the petitioner, which response shall be filed within a period of three weeks from today and thereafter, after providing opportunity of hearing, a fresh order in accordance with law be passed. Order Date :- 20.3.2025 A Gautam Digitally signed by :- ADITYA GAUTAM High Court of Judicature at Allahabad