Modern High Tech India vs Cce on 3 September, 2007
As rightly observed by the Larger Bench in Urison Cosmetics (supra), the decision in Varnica Herbs case was rendered per incuriam without noticing the provisions of the Vth Schedule to the Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodity) Rules. The decision of the Larger Bench is also in support of the present appellant's case. Learned Jt. CDR has made an endeavour to support the department's allegation that the pouches/sachets were sold to the ultimate consumers in terms of numbers and not by weight or measure and hence Rule 34 would not be applicable to them. We have found no sense in this argument inasmuch as any quantity -- whether it be weight, volume (measure) or number -- denotes the quantity of the bare commodity, without its container. One can count the number of pouches/sachets of shampoo but cannot "count" the shampoo contained in such pouches/sachets in numerical terms. Show-cause notice also had proceeded on the premise that the pouches/sachets containing shampoo were sold to ultimate consumers in terms of numbers and not by weight or measure. As a matter of fact, the appellants had sold shampoo of the second category by measure (volume). Admittedly, the volume of shampoo contained in each pouch/sachet was less than 10 ml and, ipso facto, the goods stood excluded from the applicability of the Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodity) Rules.