Page 165 - GSTL_26th March 2020_Vol 34_Part 4
P. 165

2020 ]                    IN RE : YKK INDIA PVT. LTD.                675
                                 vance ruling Authority, however, such material was neither
                                 discussed during the course of the hearing on 10-7-2018 with
                                 the Authorized representative of the Appellant nor commu-
                                 nicated to the Appellant before passing of the Impugned Rul-
                                 ing. Thus, the Appellant  craves  leave  of the Ld.  Appellate
                                 Authority of Advance ruling to rely upon complete records of
                                 personal hearing before the Ld.  Advance ruling Authority
                                 and prays before the Ld. Appellate Authority of advance rul-
                                 ing to pass appropriate directions calling upon complete rec-
                                 ords of the personal hearing on 10-7-2018. In this regard, the
                                 Hon’ble Supreme Court in Siemens Engineering and Manufac-
                                 turing Co. of India Ltd. v. Union of India and Anr. (1976) 2 SCC
                                 981 and Oryx Fisheries (P) Ltd. v. Union of India; (2010) 13 SCC
                                 427 = 2011 (266) E.L.T. 422 (S.C.) has categorically held that
                                 quasi-judicial authorities are obligated to be independent and
                                 ought not to act in  a pre-determined  manner. It is further
                                 held that where notices  and orders  disclose premeditated
                                 mind of the adjudicating authority, such orders and notices
                                 are vitiated and ought to be quashed. The Impugned Ruling
                                 is liable to be set aside on this ground alone.
                            (e)  The Ld. Advance Ruling Authority ought to have considered
                                 that the Appellant has fulfilled  all eligibility conditions for
                                 taking input tax credit specified in Section 16 of the Act. Reli-
                                 ance has been placed  upon the decision of the Punjab  and
                                 Haiyana High Court in the case of Commissioner of Central Ex-
                                 cise v. Maruti Suzuki India Pvt. Ltd. 2017 (49) S.T.R. 261 (P&H)
                                 wherein it was held that :
                                 “24.  Similarly, the Rent-a-Cab services used by the executives
                                 of the  respondent for the purpose of travelling  required for
                                 business meetings, visits to the dealerships, visits to the vendor
                                 sites, dealers meet business  promotion activities,  vehicles
                                 launch, conferences, etc. is a an expenditure in relation to busi-
                                 ness being incurred by the respondent in order to promote the
                                 sales and for efficient running of the business for which they are
                                 entitled to avail Cenvat credit.”
                                 Thus, the Ld. Advance Ruling Authority having failed to ap-
                                 preciate that  the Appellant is entitled to take credit of GST
                                 charged by the Contractor on hiring of buses and cars to the
                                 Appellant which are used for transportation of its employees
                                 to the Factories under  Section  16 of the CGST Act and the
                                 same is liable to be set aside.
                            (f)  The Ld. Advance Ruling Authority ought to have considered
                                 that a bare reading of the provisions of Section 17(5) of the
                                 Act, discloses that only restriction which may be applied to a
                                 case of input tax credit relating to transportation using buses
                                 or cars etc. can be one of ‘Rent a Cab’ provided that the said
                                 supply of transportation services fall within the meaning of
                                 ‘Rent a Cab’. The term ‘Rent a cab’ is  not defined  either in
                                 Section 17(5) or under the Act. Accordingly, reference ought
                                 to be made to the meaning ascribed to the said term under
                                    GST LAW TIMES      26th March 2020      261
   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170