Indian Aluminium Company Limited vs Thane Municipal Corporation on 25 September, 1991
The ld. Counsel, further, pleaded that the appellants' case differs factually and is distinguishable from the facts of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Indian Aluminium Co. Ltd. v. Thane Municipality -1991 (55) E.L.T. 454. The case is distinguishable because the appellants, herein, had not come up with a refund claim belatedly and almost as an after thought. On the other hand, the appellants had claimed the exemption in the classification list and had followed the procedure which has been agreed to and laid down by the department itself. It was, further, pleaded by the ld. Counsel that the fact as to how the Assistant Collector satisfies himself, will fall within the domain of the Assistant Collector and in this case the Assistant Collector has prescribed certain procedures which was followed in the past. The ld. Counsel, further, pointed out that it is not the case of the department that Assistant Collector's satisfaction has been arrived at erroneously without material basis, but the department's case is only based on general proposition that under the notification, there cannot be any subsequent refund claim. The ld. Counsel, further, contended that there it cannot also be argued that there was a possibility of fraud because where the higher rate of duty is paid at the time of clearance and a refund claim for excess duty is filed subsequently, the possibility of fraud is obviated.