Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate | Co-Founder & Legal Head, RB LawCorpDate: 25/03/2026 Introduction: When Finality Is Misunderstood in Tax Litigation In the architecture of tax litigation, where disputes traverse multiple forums ranging from adjudicating authorities to appellate bodies, tribunals, High Courts and ultimately the Supreme Court, the question that often…
-
-
Input Service Distributor under GST: Madras High Court Clarifies the Interplay between Entitlement and Distribution of ITC
Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate | Co-Founder & Legal Head, RB LawCorpDate: 20/03/2026 Introduction: When Procedure Challenges Substance The Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework was designed to ensure a seamless flow of input tax credit (ITC) across the supply chain. However, as the law has evolved in its application, procedural…
-
GST and Expatriate Employees – They Are Employees First
Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate | Co-Founder & Legal Head, RB LawCorpDate: 17/03/2026 Introduction: When Employment Is Mistaken for Supply The taxation of cross-border employment arrangements under GST has been a recurring area of dispute, particularly in cases involving multinational corporations deploying expatriate employees in India. A key controversy has been…
-
Rooh Afza, Residuary Entries and the Revival of Classification Principles: A Landmark VAT Ruling by the Supreme Court
Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate | Co-Founder & Legal Head, RB LawCorpDate: 05/03/2026 Introduction: When Classification Determines Tax Fate Classification disputes have long occupied a central place in indirect tax jurisprudence, often determining the fiscal fate of entire industries. The recent decision of the Supreme Court in Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories vs…
-
ISD vs Cross Charge: Karnataka HC Settles the Pre-Amendment Controversy
Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate & Co-Founder, RB LawCorpDate: 02/03/2026 Introduction: When Procedure Is Mistaken for Prohibition The architecture of GST rests upon the promise of seamless credit. Yet, in practice, few issues have generated as much controversy as the mechanism for distribution of common input service credit between distinct registrations…
-
Raid, Record & Reliance: Electronic Evidence, Admissions and the Consequence of Non-Retracted Statements under Customs & GST
Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate & Co-Founder, RB LawCorpDate: 25/02/2026 Introduction: When Seizure Is Mistaken for Admissibility Search and seizure proceedings under fiscal statutes have increasingly become technology-driven. Laptops, accounting software backups, server extracts, pen drives and cloud data now form the backbone of many customs and GST demands. Yet a fundamental evidentiary…
-
Reasserting Judicial Independence: Supreme Court Strikes Down the Tribunal Reforms Act,2021 – Implications for the GST Appellate Tribunal
Supreme Court Strikes Down Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 — Major Implications for GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) Author: Ashwarya Sharma, Advocate & Co-Founder, RB LawCorpDate: 20/11/2025 The Supreme Court’s landmark judgment dated 19 November 2025 in Madras Bar Association v. Union of India has once again reaffirmed that judicial independence is…
-
A welcome judgement
SC Greenlights Rectification of GST Errors Post-Deadline In a landmark ruling in CBIC vs. Aberdare Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (2025-TIOL-16-SC-GST), the Supreme Court upheld the Bombay High Court’s verdict allowing correction of bonafide GST return errors beyond the statutory deadline. ? Background:Aberdare filed its returns on time but later found clerical…
-
Revised GST Framework for Restaurant Services in Specified Premises: Key Changes Effective from April 1, 2025
The government has revised GST rules for restaurant & catering services in hotels, effective April 1, 2025, via Notification No. 05/2025-CT (Rate). Key points: ? ‘Specified Premises’ Re-defined:Now based on actual transaction value (Rs. 7,500+ per day per unit), not ‘declared tariff’. ? Who Qualifies: ? Tax Impact: ? Opt-In/Opt-Out…
-
Supreme Court’s Landmark Ruling on Arrest Powers Under GST and Customs Acts: Balancing Enforcement with the Fundamental Right to Life
This article examines the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Radhika Agarwal v. Union of India [2025] 171 taxmann.com 832 (SC) a landmark judgment with significant legal implications. The decision addresses the constitutional validity of arrest powers under Section 69 and the issuance of summons under Section 70 of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, along with…