Page 188 - ELT_15th August 2020_Vol 373_Part 4
P. 188

522                         EXCISE LAW TIMES                    [ Vol. 373

                                     by the petitioners, is a complete bogey, which ought not be countenanced by this
                                     Court.
                                            9.7  This apart, Learned  Counsel relies upon the Board’s Circular No.
                                     1/2011-Cus., dated 4-1-2011 to seek provisional release of goods on execution of
                                     a bond of an amount equivalent to the value of the goods along with an appro-
                                     priate security.
                                            9.8  More importantly,  Learned Counsel says that the respondents to
                                     date have not supplied the petitioners with a copy of the second report said to
                                     have been generated by CLRI, despite a request having been made in that behalf.
                                            10.  On the other hand, Mr. Sundar, who appears for the respondents,
                                     has resisted the variation of the condition contained in clause (i) of paragraph 6
                                     of the impugned order.
                                            10.1  Quite, inexplicably though, while resisting variation of the afore-
                                     mentioned condition, Learned Counsel makes a submission that the impugned
                                     order being an internal communication between respondent No. 3 and respond-
                                     ent No. 2 cannot be relied upon by the petitioners in the present proceedings.
                                            10.2  Furthermore, Learned Counsel submits, (sans any record or an af-
                                     fidavit) that the second set of samples had to be drawn, as intelligence was re-
                                     ceived by the respondents that the first report was generated after the samples
                                     drawn in that behalf had been surreptitiously substituted.
                                            10.3  Learned Counsel relied  upon the Board’s Circular No. 1/2011-
                                     Cus., dated 4-1-2011, and the Facility Circular No. 1/2014, dated 2-1-2014, as also
                                     upon extracts taken from the Board’s Customs Manual, in particular, Clause
                                     2.2.(c), to contend, that there can be no variation of the condition contained in
                                     paragraph 6(i) of the impugned order.
                                            10.4  In order to buttress his submissions, Learned Counsel, relied upon
                                     the following judgments :
                                            (i)  Apollo Cranes Pvt. Ltd. v. Union of India, 2012 (275) E.L.T. 148 (Bom.)
                                            (ii)  Judgment of the Division Bench of  this Court dated  28-7-2016,
                                                 passed in W.A. No. 377 of 2016, titled : Malabar Diamond Gallery Pvt.
                                                 Ltd. v. Additional Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
                                                 Chennai Zonal Unit and others [2016 (341) E.L.T. 65 (Mad.)].
                                            11.  I have heard the Learned Counsel for the parties and perused the
                                     record.
                                            12.  Clearly what emerges from the record is as follows :
                                             (i)   There are two reports of CLRI one of which has been placed on
                                                   record by the petitioners. The other report is in the custody of
                                                   the respondents, the existence of which is not denied. The first
                                                   favours the petitioners, while the second report, a fact not denied
                                                   by Mr. Sundar, is not in favour of the petitioners.
                                             (ii)   The subject goods by themselves are not prohibited goods.
                                             (ii)(a) In  fact,  provisional  release is already ordered by respondents,
                                                   albeit, on conditions which the  petitioners claim  are rigorous
                                                   and contrary to the usual conditions imposed in such like matter.

                                                         EXCISE LAW TIMES      15th August 2020      188
   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193