New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Thursday told the Central Government that any arrest under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act should not be made on mere suspicion, but should be done on the basis of solid evidence and appropriate procedure should be followed. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice MM Sundaresh and Justice Bela M Trivedi said that the facts on the basis of which the arrest has been made should be verified by a magistrate.
The bench told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, who appeared in the court on behalf of the Centre, that ‘arrest under this Act cannot be made merely on the basis of suspicion, but after proper investigation and procedure prescribed under law. Can be done after observance. This arrest should be based on such evidence which is capable of being verified by the Magistrate and certified by the Commissioner.
‘Investigation is not limited to only 3 people’, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau again gave statement on Nijjar murder case
The ASG replied that ‘Yes, any arrest was made on the basis of appropriate facts. We do not arrest anyone without solid evidence. The Supreme Court is hearing 281 petitions. In which various provisions of the Customs Act, GST Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act have been challenged amidst allegations of misuse of penal provisions. The hearing will continue on May 14, when Raju will present arguments on GST provisions.
Tags: gst, GST law, Supreme Court, supreme court of india
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 9, 2024, 23:41 IST