“The Supreme Court condemns coercive tactics by GST officials: called to departmental action”
Last Updated on February 27, 2025 by NewsDesk SLC
The Supreme Court observed on Thursday that there is a certain merit in accusations that fiscal officials have been forcing people to pay the property tax and services (GST) under the threat of arrest. The court made this observation based on data submitted to him while listening to a lot of applications on the arrest powers under the GST Law and the Customs Law.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice MM Sundresh, and Justice Bela Trivedi emphasized that taxpayers who feel pressured to make payments can seek relief when approaching the writing court. The court also ordered that officials participating in coercion must be subject to departmental action.
“We have examined data on accusations of strength and coercion in tax payments. There seems to be some merit in these statements. If someone feels obliged to pay, they can approach the Court of Writings for repair. In addition, officers involved in such actions must be discussed. This practice cannot be allowed, since it is contrary to the law. We have referred to the case of Nandini’s sympathy in this regard, ”said CJI Sanjiv Khanna when issuing the verdict.
The observations of the court highlight the concerns about the misuse of the execution powers under the GST framework, which caused appeal for greater responsibility within the tax departments.
