Cce, Raipur vs M/S Bharat Aluminium Co. Ltd on 24 April, 2015
2. Shri Ranjan Khanna, the learned DR, assailed the impugned order by reiterating the grounds of appeal and pleaded that the Apex court judgment in the case of Union of India vs. Indian Aluminium Co. Ltd. (supra) relied upon by the Commissioner (Appeals) is not applicable to the facts of this case in as much as the case under consideration by the Apex Court involved the dross and skimming removed during the period from September 1972 to March 1973 and during that period the aluminium dross and skimming were classified under Tariff item 68 of the Central Excise Tariff pertaining to goods not elsewhere specified while during the period of dispute, there is a heading 2620.00 specifically covering the ash and residue (other than, from manufacture of iron and steel) containing metals, that, beside this, during period of dispute, there is Chapter Note 3 to Chapter 26 which mentions that the heading 2620 applies only to, ash and residue of a kind used in the industry either for extraction of metal or as a basis for manufacture of chemical compounds of metals, that per MT price ranging from Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 22,000/- at which the dross and skimming was being sold indicates that it is covered by Chapter Note 3, that while the Apex courts judgment in the case of Union of India vs. Indian Aluminium Co. Ltd. (supra) relied upon in the Commissioner (Appeals)s order is with regard to dross and skimming arising in course of melting of aluminium ingots, the dispute in the present case is in respect of dross and skimming which arise in course of manufacture of aluminium from alumina by electrolysis process and in the dross and skimming arising in the present case the metal content is much higher, that the dross and skimming arising in this case are marketable which is evident from the fact that the same were being regularly sold by the respondent, at the price ranging from Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 22,000/- per MT which is close to the price of finished product, that these dross and skimming are arising regularly and, hence, in view of the Apex courts judgment in the case of Commissioner of Sales Tax vs. Bharat Petroleum reported in 1995 (77) E.L.T. 90 (S.C.), an intention to manufacture same has to be presumed and that in view of this, the impugned order holding that the aluminium dross and skimming arising in this case are not marketable and, hence, not excisable, is not correct. He also pleaded that the records of the respondent during the period from June 2003 to March 2005 also indicated that the aluminium dross and skimming were being sold regularly at the prices varying from 20,000 per MT to 22,000 per MT which clearly indicates that the market for this product existed.