The Addl. Commissioner Of Sales ... vs Kayani Bakery
2016 Latest Caselaw 3933 Bom

    Dixit
                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY




                                                                                  
                                 ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION

                                  NOTICE OF MOTION NO.891 OF 2016




                                                          
                                                IN
                                MVAT APPEAL (LODGING) NO.10 OF 2016
                                                IN
                                 VAT SECOND APPEAL NO.119 OF 2013




                                                         
                                             ALONG WITH

                                  NOTICE OF MOTION NO.910 OF 2016
                                                IN




                                               
                                 MVAT APPEAL (LODGING) NO.9 OF 2016
                                        ig      IN
                                 VAT SECOND APPEAL NO.120 OF 2013

            The Additional Commissioner of Sales Tax,
                                      
            VAT-III, M.S., Mumbai-10                                    .... Applicant
            In the matter between
            The Additional Commissioner of Sales Tax,
            VAT-III, M.S., Mumbai-10                                    .... Appellant
                    V/s.
              


            Kayani Bakery, Pune                                         .... Respondent

ALONG WITH

NOTICE OF MOTION NO.1007 OF 2016 IN

MVAT APPEAL (LODGING) NO.8 OF 2016 IN VAT APPEAL NO.9 OF 2007

The Additional Commissioner of Sales Tax,

VAT-III, M.S., Mumbai-10 .... Applicant In the matter between The Additional Commissioner of Sales Tax, VAT-III, M.S., Mumbai-10 .... Appellant V/s.

Phonographic Performance Ltd., Andheri (West), Mumbai. .... Respondent

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

Mr. V.A. Sonpal, Special Counsel, for the Applicant in all the Notices of Motion.

Mr. P.V. Surte, a/w. Mr. Subhash Surte, for the Respondent in Notices of Motion Nos.891 of 2016 and 910 of 2016.

Mr. B.M. Chatterjee, Sr. Advocate, a/w. Ms. Shilpa Goel, i/by Mr. Subhash Surte, for the Respondent in Notice of Motion No.1007 of 2016.

CORAM : S.C. DHARMADHIKARI & DR. SHALINI PHANSALKAR-JOSHI, J.J.

                             RESERVED ON          :   12TH JULY, 2016.




                                        
                             PRONOUNCED ON :          19TH JULY, 2016.

JUDGMENT : [Per Dr. Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi, J.]

1. These three Notices of Motion are preferred by the Revenue

seeking condonation of delay in preferring appeals under Section 27 of

the Maharashtra Value Added Tax Act, 2002, against the Judgment and

Order of the First Bench of Maharashtra Sales Tax Tribunal, Mumbai. As

they raise the common questions of law and facts, they are being decided

by this common order.

2. The first and second Notices of Motion, being Notice of Motion

Nos.891 of 2016 and 910 of 2016, are directed against the order dated

27th March 2014 passed by the First Bench of the Maharashtra Sales Tax

Tribunal, Mumbai in VAT Second Appeal Nos.119 and 120 of 2013 and the

delay in preferring Appeals against those orders is of 548 days. The third

Notice of Motion No.1007 of 2016 is directed against the order dated 19 th

June 2009, also passed by the First Bench of the Maharashtra Sales Tax

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

Tribunal, Mumbai. It is in VAT Appeal No.9 of 2007 and the delay in this

case is of about 2288 days.

3. In the first two Notices of Motion, the cause for the delay is given in

a general and omnibus way as stating that, "the delay is due to various

factum, especially, related to procedural mandate in Government

functioning, which were not in the control of the Applicant-Appellant";

whereas, in the third Notice of Motion, the delay is attributed to "filing of

the Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court", which came to be

disposed of on 7th February 2011, and, thereafter, to "the various internal

correspondence of the Revenue Department with its superior authorities,

for seeking permission to file the Appeal".

4. Learned counsel for the Respondents herein have strongly resisted

these Notices of Motion on two counts; firstly, by challenging

maintainability of the Notices of Motion on the ground that Section 5 of the

Limitation Act, 1963, is not applicable to the proceedings under the

Maharashtra Value Added Tax Act, 2002. To advance this submission, the

reliance is placed on the Judgment of this Court in Additional

Commissioner of Sales Tax, VAT-III, Mumbai Vs. Jonson and Jonson Ltd.

    & Anr.1


    1     (2015) 79 VST 478 (Bom)


    NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc





                                                                              

5. The second ground, on which the Notices of Motion for condonation

of delay are opposed, is the failure of the Applicant-Appellant to make out

sufficient cause for condonation of such long duration of about two years

in the first two Notices of Motion and more than six to seven years in

preferring the third Notice of Motion. It is submitted that absolutely no

satisfactory, much less, cogent or reasonable grounds are made out for

condonation of delay in first two Notices of Motion, except for making a

bald and general statement that the delay is on account of "various

factors" and in the third Notice of Motion, attributing the same to the

alleged internal correspondence.

6. According to learned counsel for the Respondents, therefore, this

belated wisdom dawn on the Revenue, of challenging the impugned

orders of the Tribunal, is required to be dealt with strictly, especially, in the

case of Revenue matters, where such causes are taken up after the long

period of years together. It is submitted that the delay in Revenue matters

adversely affects the steady inflow of revenues and the financial stability

of the State. Therefore, when the object is to ensure speedy and final

determination of fiscal matters within a reasonable certain time schedule,

allowing such Notices of Motion for condonation of delay to unearth the

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

cause, which is set at rest long back, is acting against the spirit of the

Revenue matters and, therefore, this Court should be slow in entertaining

such Notices of Motion.

7. In view of the submissions advanced before us by learned counsel

for the Revenue Mr. V.A. Sonpal and learned counsel for the Respondents

Mr. P.V. Surte, the first question that necessarily falls for our consideration

is about the maintainability of these Notices of Motion or applications for

condonation of delay in preferring the Appeals, as learned counsel for the

Respondents has strenuously contested the same by relying upon the

decision of this Court in Jonson and Jonson Ltd. (Supra). According to

learned counsel for the Respondents, the application of the provisions of

the Limitation Act to the proceedings in the Sales Tax matters is very

much restricted. In the absence of any express provision providing for

applicability of Section 5 of the Limitation Act to these proceedings, even

the power of this Court to condone the delay in filing of the Appeal is not

available.

8. In order to appreciate this submission, it would be necessary, first,

to refer to the provisions of Maharashtra Value Added Tax Act, 2002.

These Notices of Motion are filed in order to prefer an Appeal under

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

Section 27 of the said Act. The said Section provides that, "the Appeal

shall lie to the High Court from every order passed by the Tribunal,

including a Judgment, by way of advance ruling, if the High Court is

satisfied that the case involves a substantial question of law."

9. Sub-section 2(a) to Section 27 provides that such appeal has to be

filed within the period of one hundred and twenty days from the date on

which the order appealed against is received by the party.

10. Sub-section (9) of Section 27 of the said Act lays down that, "save

as otherwise provided in this Act, the provisions of the Code of Civil

Procedure, 1908, relating to Appeals to the High Court, shall, as far as

may be, apply in the case of Appeals under this Section."

11. Section 80 of the MVAT Act provides that, "in computing the period

of limitation laid down under Sections 25, 26 and 27, the provisions of

Sections 4 and 12 of the Limitation Act, 1963, shall, so far as may be,

apply."

12. Section 81 is of relevance, which clearly lays down the extension of

period of limitation in certain cases. Sub-clause (1) of Section 81 reads as

follows :-

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

"An appellate authority may admit an appeal under

Section 26 after the period of limitation laid down in

the said section, if the appellant satisfies the appellate authority that he had sufficient cause for not preferring the appeal within such period."

13. Thus, the provisions of this Section are clear to the effect that the

Appellate Authority under Section 26 of the Act, namely, the Tribunal, is

having the power of extending the period of limitation, if the Appellant

makes out a sufficient cause for the same. Needless to state that, when

the Appellate Authority, like the Tribunal, which is not a Court, is having

such power of extension of period by condoning the delay in preferring the

Appeal, the High Court, which is having the plenary and inherent powers,

can hardly be said to be bereft of such power for condonation of delay.

Once the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 in so far as relating to Appeals

applies to the subject Appeals, then, it is rightly conceded that this Court

can condone the delay in filing Second Appeals. The provisions in so far

as maintainability of the Second Appeals in this Court applies to the MVAT

Appeals in this Court. Therefore, Order XLI Rule 3A of CPC would apply

conferring power in this Court to condone the delay in filing MVAT Appeals

beyond the prescribed period.

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

14. As to the authority relied upon by learned counsel for the

Respondents, that of Jonson and Jonson Ltd. (Supra), the issue involved

therein was totally different. It related to the provisions of Bombay Sales

Tax Act, 1959 and pertains to the delay in preferring a Reference

thereunder. In the said case, having regard to the entire scheme of

Sections 59 and 60 of Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959, it was held that, "the

Legislature did not intend to confer any power in the High Court to

condone the delay by taking recourse to Section 5 of the Limitation Act.

As the Section makes it clear that the Court has to abide by the limit of 90

days and if the application is filed beyond that period, the Court has no

powers to condone the delay by taking recourse to Section 5 of the

Limitation Act."

15. It was observed that, "the authorities constituted under the Sales

Tax Act for deciding the tax dues are not courts, but Tribunals and unless

there is an express power conferred by the Act to condone the delay or

exclude any period of limitation, the Tribunal would not be clothed with the

power to condone the delay."

16. In so far as the power of the Tribunal referring the matter to the High

Court beyond the period prescribed by Section 61 is concerned, it was

held that, "there was no power in the Tribunal to extend that period and

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

consequently, as there is no power in the Tribunal, there is also no power

in the High Court to condone the delay, which the Tribunal itself could not

have condoned."

17. Thus, it is clear that these observations are made in the context of

and pertaining to the 'Reference', which the Tribunal has to make within a

particular time period and Tribunal, not being a court, had no authority or

powers to extend such period of limitation. In consequence, the High

Court was also held to be not having such power to entertain the

Reference beyond the period of limitation, prescribed by Section 61 of the

Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959.

18. As against it, in the instant case, we are concerned with the

"Appeal" and not the "Reference". As stated above, Section 81 of the

MVAT Act confers powers even on the Appellate Authority like the

Tribunal, which is not a Court, to extend the period of limitation, if

sufficient cause is made out. Hence, needless to state that the High Court

cannot be considered as bereft of such powers. Therefore, so far as the

question of maintainability of these applications / Notices of Motion for

condonation of delay are concerned, we have to hold that they are very

much maintainable.

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

19. However, the mere fact that the Notices of Motion are maintainable,

does not mean that they have to be allowed. After all, this Court also has

to consider whether 'sufficient cause', which is the essential condition or

one may call a sine qua non, for allowing such applications for

condonation of delay is made out by the Applicant-Appellant or not.

20. For the Court to exercise its discretionary power under Section 5 of

the Limitation Act, on facts, the Applicant-Appellant has to plead and make

out a sufficient cause for condonation of delay. In this respect, however,

we are constrained to observe that the Applicant-Appellant has miserably

failed to make out such sufficient cause in all the three applications.

21. At the cost of repetition, it has to be stated that a very general and

vague averment is made in the first two Notices of Motions as to the

cause for delay in preferring the Appeals. In Para No.4 of the

applications / first two Notices of Motion, it is stated as follows :-

"4. I say that the delay in filing the present Appeal is not

deliberate or intentional but due to various factors, especially related to procedural mandate in Government functioning, which were not in control of the Appellant."

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

22. Thus, absolutely no cause is given, as such, for condonation of

delay and that of about 548 days in preferring the Appeals, except for

attributing the same to the specious plea of "various factors". Which were

those factors is not at all stated or illustrated. Merely stating that, "those

factors relate to procedural mandates in Government functioning, which

was not in control of the Appellant", cannot be sufficient, even accepting

that, in litigations to which the Government is a party, there are some

aspects, which perhaps cannot be ignored and those factors and aspects

are required to be stated.

23. As observed by the Apex Court in the case of G. Ramegauda Major

etc. Vs. The Special Land Acquisition Officer, along with connected

matter, Bangalore2, that, "in assessing, what in a particular case can

constitute 'sufficient cause', for the purpose of Section 5 of the Limitation

Act, it might be unrealistic to exclude the consideration of the

characteristics of the decisions taken at the Government level and the

aspects which are peculiar to the functioning of the Government."

24. We are also aware that certain amount of latitude in cases where

Government is a litigant, is not impermissible, as the State represents

collective cause of the community and what ultimately suffers is public

2 AIR 1988 SC 897

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

interest, necessitating adoption of pragmatic approach to do substantive

justice. However, in case of gross delay and inaction, it becomes difficult

to put a State on high pedestal, so as to be immune to the consequences

of the inaction. No separate standards to determine the cause laid by the

State vis-a-vis private litigant could be laid to prove sufficient cause.

Merely because applicant is a State, delay cannot be condoned without a

proper explanation as Section 5 of the Limitation Act is equally applicable

to the State as well.

25. In the case of Office of the Chief Post Master General & Ors. Vs.

Living Media India Ltd. & Anr.3, the Apex Court, after taking review of its

earlier decisions, was constrained to observe that,

"12. ................................................. In the absence of

plausible and acceptable explanation, we are posing a question why the delay is to be condoned mechanically

merely because the Government or a wing of the Government is a party before us. Though we are conscious of the fat that in a matter of condonation of delay when there was no gross negligence or deliberate

inaction or lack of bona fide, a liberal concession has to be adopted to advance substantial justice, we are of the view that in the facts and circumstances, the Department cannot take advantage of various earlier

3 2012 AIR SCW 1812

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

decisions. The claim on account of impersonal machinery and inherited bureaucratic methodology of

making several notes cannot be accepted in view of the

modern technologies being used and available. The law of limitation undoubtedly binds everybody including the Government.

13. In our view, it is the right time to inform all the Government bodies, their agencies and instrumentalities that unless they have reasonable and acceptable

explanation for the delay and there was bona fide effort,

there is no need to accept the usual explanation that the file was kept pending for several months/years due to

considerable degree of procedural red-tape in the process. The Government departments are under a special obligation to ensure that they perform their

duties with diligence and commitment. Condonation of

delay is an exception and should not be used as an anticipated benefit for Government departments. The law shelters everyone under the same light and should

not be swirled for the benefit of a few. Considering the fact that there was no proper explanation offered by the Department for the delay except mentioning of various dates, according to us, the Department has miserably

failed to give any acceptable and cogent reasons sufficient to condone such a huge delay. Accordingly, the appeals are liable to be dismissed on the ground of delay."

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

26. It has, thus, to be remembered that the Government is also a litigant

before the Court like any other litigant. Hence, even to invoke these

aspects of peculiar functioning of Government, a specific case is required

to be made out, as to which are those aspects which, in a particular case,

cause delay in preferring the Appeal.

27. In the instant case, there is absolutely no averment in the Notices of

Motion or even in the submissions as to which were those peculiar or

distinctive aspects of the Government functioning, which resulted in

causing delay of about two years in preferring these appeals. Therefore,

having regard to the tenor of the averments in the application, we have no

hesitation in our mind to reject these first two Notices of Motion on failure

of the Applicant-Appellants to bring their case within the four corners of

'sufficient cause', as contemplated under Section 5 of the Limitation Act.

28. Even as regards the third Notice of Motion, though the details of the

various internal correspondence are given and the cause is attributed to

the same and also to the fact that the Special Leave Petition was

preferred in the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India against the order of the

Tribunal and hence there was delay, we are not at all convinced by the

same. It is pertinent to note that the impugned decision of the Tribunal is

dated 19th June 2009 and the Special Leave Petition was disposed of on

7th February 2011 itself. The Appeals are, however, preferred on 3 rd

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

February 2016 along with these Notices of Motion. Thus, even if the

period consumed in prosecuting Special Leave Petition filed in the

Supreme Court of India, is excluded from consideration, there is a delay of

about five years. Such a delay can hardly be explained by attributing the

same merely to the functioning of the Government and internal

correspondence.

29. In this respect also, it is pertinent to note that the Government has

given the sanction to file Writ Petition on 13 th December 2011 itself. The

Draft Appeal received approval thereafter from the concerned Department

on 16th December 2015. No explanation at all is offered for this delay of

four years and the subsequent delay of again about two months in

preferring this Appeal with Notice of Motion. Such a delay cannot be

condoned on the spacious plea of the characteristics of Government

functioning.

30. As a matter of fact, the Government, being the largest litigant, has

to be a model and ideal litigant. The sheer and gross negligence on the

part of the Government in preferring such Appeals cannot be condoned in

this manner, as a routine or as a right of the Government, and that too to

unearth the cause which is already set at rest.

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc

31. The delay in the third Notice of Motion is of not one or two years,

but of about seven years and again being not explained satisfactorily, we

are not inclined to allow this Notice of Motion. It will also set a bad

precedent and may encourage the Revenue in the dilly dallying tactics.

32. As a result, all the three Notices of Motion stand dismissed. In

consequence, the Appeals no more survive and the same are also

disposed of accordingly.

[DR. SHALINI PHANSALKAR-JOSHI, J.] [S.C. DHARMADHIKARI, J.]

NMW-891-910-1007 OF 2016.doc