Rajasthan High Court - Jaipur
Anil Kumar S/O Ramniwas vs Union Of India on 19 February, 2024
Author: Praveer Bhatnagar
Bench: Praveer Bhatnagar
[2024:RJ-JP:8012]
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN
BENCH AT JAIPUR
S.B. Criminal Miscellaneous Bail Application No. 15833/2023
Anil Kumar S/o Ramniwas, Aged About 40 Years, R/o Ward
Number 04, Brahmin Moholla, Kharkhuda, Sonipath, Haryana. (At
Present In Central Jail, Jaipur)
----Accused-Petitioner
Versus
Union Of India, Through Intelligence Officer, Office Of Directorate
General Of Commodity And Tax Intelligence, Jaipur Zonal Unit,
Jaipur.
----Respondent
For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Subodh Kumar Sharma with Mr. Gaurav Jain Mr. Prashant Khandelwal Mr. Vijay Gupta For Respondent(s) : Mr. Kinshuk Jain, Sr. Standing Counsel for DGGI HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE PRAVEER BHATNAGAR Judgment / Order 19/02/2024 The instant bail application has been filed under Section 439 Cr.P.C. on behalf of accused-petitioner. The petitioner has been arrested in connection with Complaint No.DGGI/INV/122/2023-Gr-F O/o ADG-DGGI-ZU-Jaipur for the offence(s) under Section 132 (1)
(b) (c) (f) and (l) of CGST Act, 2017.
Learned counsel for the accused-petitioner submitted that the petitioner has been falsely implicated under Section 132 (1)
(b) (c) (f) and (l) of CGST Act, 2017. The accused-petitioner is behind the bars since 18.11.2023. The offence is triable by Magistrate and having maximum punishment of five years. The (Downloaded on 19/02/2024 at 09:09:26 PM) [2024:RJ-JP:8012] (2 of 4) [CRLMB-15833/2023] trial of the case may take considerable time, therefore, the bail application of accused-petitioner may be allowed.
Learned counsel for the accused-petitioner placed his reliance upon the order passed by Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Ratnambar Kaushik Vs. Union of India [2022 SCC Online SC 1678] decided on 05.12.2022 and invited attention of this Court at Para No.6 of the order.
Per contra, learned Senior Counsel for Union of India opposed the bail application and submitted that accused-petitioner Anil Kumar issued fake bills from seven firms managed by him and taking ITC through fake bills issued by fake firms created by Shri Ashutosh Garg. It is also alleged against the accused-petitioner that he opened four more firms and issued fake bills without supplying of goods/services. He also submitted that present petitioner is also involved for selling invoices issued from fake firms of Shri Ashutosh Garg on commission basis. The investigation also reveals that accused-petitioner Anil Kumar operated seven firms and have issued goods less invoices passing on fake ITC amounting to Rs.20,28,40,841/-.
Learned Senior Counsel for Union of India further submitted that charge-sheet against the accused-petitioner for prosecuting under Section 132 (1) (b) (c) (f) and (l) of CGST Act, 2017 read with sub-Section 5 of the Act has already been submitted. He further argued that the facts of the case referred by learned counsel for the petitioner are entirely different from the facts in the case of Ratnambar Kaushik (supra). It was alleged against the accused that he clandestinely transported raw un-manufactured tobacco brought from Gujarat by seven trucks weighing 90,520 Kgs. and (Downloaded on 19/02/2024 at 09:09:26 PM) [2024:RJ-JP:8012] (3 of 4) [CRLMB-15833/2023] the raw un-manufactured tobacco was cleared in the name of M/s. Maa Ambe Enterprises. It was also alleged that supply of chewing tobacco was made without paying leviable duties amounting to Rs.15,57,28,345/-. In the present case, the accused-petitioner has initiated the fake ITCs without supplying goods and caused loss of Rs.20,28,40,841/- to the Government.
Learned Senior Counsel for Union of India placed his reliance upon the order passed in Lalit Goyal Vs. Union of India & Anr. passed by Hon'ble Apex Court in Special Leave to Appeal (Crl.) No.3509/2022 dated 26.08.2022 and Special Leave to Appeal (Crl.) No.8128/2022 in Basudev Mittal Vs. Union of India dated 12.12.2022. He further submitted that the offences under Section 132 (b) (c) and (l) are cognizable and non- bailable offence.
Learned Senior Counsel for Union of India further submitted that economic offences constitute a class apart and need to be visited with a different approach in the matter of bail, therefore, considering the fact that accused-petitioner has fake ITCs amount of Rs.20,28,40,841/- without supplying the goods, bail application of accused-petitioner may be dismissed.
Heard and perused the charge sheet, so also, the law referred by both the parties.
The allegation in the charge sheet itself speaks and states that accused-petitioner has generated the fake ITCs of Rs.20,28,40,841/-. It is settled law that economic offences constitute a class apart and required to be scanned with a different approach in the matter of bail. In the matter of Ratnambar Kaushik (supra), the facts were entirely different and that was not a case of generating the fake ITC. In that case, goods (Downloaded on 19/02/2024 at 09:09:26 PM) [2024:RJ-JP:8012] (4 of 4) [CRLMB-15833/2023] were supplied without paying the CGST. In the present case, the facts are entirely different. The Hon'ble Apex Court in the matter of Lalit Goyal (supra) vide order dated 26.08.2022 dismissed the bail application of the petitioner. In the matter of Lalit Goyal, it was alleged that petitioner Lalit Goyal and other persons had made various fake firms and claimed Input Tax Credit of Rs.18.91 Crores without any transportation of goods. In that case, co-ordinate Bench of this Court in S.B. Criminal Misc. Bail Application No.13042/2021 dated 07.09.2021 dismissed the bail application of the petitioner and in SLP vide order dated 26.08.2022, the Hon'ble Apex Court dismissed the Special Leave Petition, therefore, considering the gravity of the offence, so also, that petitioner has taken a fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) worth of Rs.20,28,40,841/-, I am not inclined to enlarge the accused-petitioner on bail.
Accordingly, the bail application of accused-petitioner under Section 439 Cr.P.C. is dismissed.
(PRAVEER BHATNAGAR),J SURAJ KUMAR (Downloaded on 19/02/2024 at 09:09:26 PM) Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)