CHAPTER– XXV
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
137. Special Procedure for certain processes
The Central/State Government may, on recommendation of the Council, by notification and subject to such conditions and safeguards as may be specified therein, in respect of certain classes of taxable persons to be notified in this behalf, specify special procedures with regard to registration, filing of return, payment of tax and administration of such taxable persons by the CGST or SGST officers and the said taxable persons may opt to follow the procedures so prescribed.
(1) Every taxable person shall be assigned a GST compliance rating score based on his record of compliance with the provisions of this Act.
(2) The GST compliance rating score shall be determined on the basis of parameters to be prescribed in this behalf.
(3) The GST compliance rating score shall be updated at periodic intervals and intimated to the taxable person and also placed in the public domain in the manner prescribed.
139. Obligation to furnish information return
(1) Any person, being —
(a) a taxable person; or
(b) a local authority or other public body or association; or
(c) any authority of the State Government responsible for the collection of value added tax or sales tax or state excise duty or an authority of the Central Government responsible for the collection of Excise duty or Customs duty; or
(d) an income tax authority appointed under the provisions of the Income -tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961); or
(e) a banking company within the meaning of clause (a) of section 45A of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934); or
(f) a State Electricity Board; or an electricity distribution or transmission licensee under the Electricity Act, 2003 (36 of 2003 ), or any other entity entrusted, as the case may be, with such functions by the Central Government or the State Government; or
(g) the Registrar or Sub-Registrar appointed under section 6 of the Registration Act, 1908 (16 of 1908); or
(h) a Registrar within the meaning of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013); or
(i) the registering authority empowered to register motor vehicles under Chapter IV of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988); or
(j) the Collector referred to in clause (c) of section 3 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (30 of 2013); or
(k) the recognised stock exchange referred to in clause (f) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956); or
(l) a depository referred to in clause (e) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Depositories Act, 1996 (22 of 1996); or
(m) an officer of the Reserve Bank of India, constituted under section 3 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934); or
(n) Goods and Service Tax Network; or
(o) a person to whom a Unique Identity Number has been granted under sub-section (8) of section 23 ;or
(p) any other person as may be specified, on the recommendation of the Council, by the Central or State Government-
who is responsible for maintaining record of registration or statement of accounts or any periodic return or document containing details of payment of tax and other details of transaction of goods or services or transactions related to a bank account or consumption of electricity or transaction of purchase, sale or exchange of goods or property or right or interest in a property, under any law for the time being in force, shall furnish an information return of the same in respect of such periods, within such time, in such form (including electronic form) and manner, to such authority or agency as may be prescribed.
(2) Where the prescribed authority considers that the information submitted in the information return is defective, he may intimate the defect to the person who has furnished such information return and give him an opportunity of rectifying the defect within a period of thirty days from the date of such intimation or within such further period which, on an application made in this behalf, the prescribed authority may allow and if the defect is not rectified within the said period of thirty days or, as the case may be, the further period so allowed, then, notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, such information return shall be treated as not submitted and the provisions of this Act shall apply.
(3) Where a person who is required to furnish information return has not furnished the same within the time specified in sub-section (1) or sub -section (2), the prescribed authority may serve upon him a notice requiring furnishing of such information return within a period not exceeding ninety days from the date of service of the notice and such person shall furnish the information return.
140. Penalty for failure to furnish information return
If a person who is required to furnish an information return under section 139 fails to do so within the period specified in the notice issued under sub-section (3) thereof, the prescribed authority may direct that such person shall pay, by way of penalty, a sum of one hundred rupees for each day of the period during which the failure to furnish such return continues.
141. Power to collect statistics
(1) The Commissioner, if it considers that for the purposes of the better administration of the Act, it is necessary so to do, may by notification, direct that statistics be collected relating to any matter dealt with, by or in connection with the Act.
(2) Upon such notification being issued, the Commissioner, or any person authorised by the Commissioner in this behalf may call upon all concerned persons to furnish such information or returns as may be specified therein relating to any matter in respect of which statistics is to be collected.
(3) The form in which the persons to whom or, the authorities to which, such information or returns should be furnished, the particulars which they should contain, and the intervals in which such information or returns should be furnished, shall be as may be prescribed.
142. Disclosure of information required under section 141
(1) No information of any individual return or part thereof, with respect to any matter given for the purposes of section 141 shall, without the previous consent in writing of the taxpayer or person or his authorised agent, be published in such manner as to enable any particulars to be identified as referring to a particular taxpayer and no such information shall be used for the purpose of any proceedings under the provisions of the Act.
(2) Except for the purposes of prosecution under the Act, or any other Act, no person who is not engaged in the collection of statistics under the Act or of compilation or computerization thereof for the purposes of the Act, shall be permitted to see or have access to any information or any individual return referred to in that
(3) If any person required to furnish any information or return under section 141,-
(a) without reasonable cause fails to furnish such information or return as may by that section be required, or
(b) willfully furnishes or causes to furnish any information or return which he knows to be false,
he shall, on conviction, be punished with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees and in case of a continuing offence to a further fine which may extend to one hundred rupees for each day after the first day during which the offence continues subject to a maximum limit of one thousand rupees.
(4) If any person engaged in connection with the collection of statistics under section 141 or compilation or computerization thereof willfully discloses any information or the contents of any return given or made under that section, otherwise than in execution of his duties under that section or for the purposes of the prosecution of an offence under the Act or under any other Act, he shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both:
PROVIDED that, no prosecution shall be instituted under the subsection, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government or State Government.
(5) Nothing in this section shall apply to the publication of any information relating to a class of dealers or class of transactions, if in the opinion of the competent authority, it is desirable in the public interest, to publish such information.
143. Taking assistance from an IT professional
If at any stage of scrutiny, enquiry, investigation or any other proceedings before him, any officer not below the rank of [Deputy/Assistant Commissioner] having regard to the nature and complexity of the case and the interest of revenue, is of the opinion that the information pertaining to a taxable person stored on a computer system does not reveal correct details, he may take assistance of an Information Technology professional for extraction of information from such computer system.
144. Drawal of samples
The [Commissioner] of CGST/SGST or an officer authorized by him may take samples of goods from the possession of any taxable persons, where he considers it necessary, and provide a receipt for any samples so taken.
145. Burden of Proof
If any person claims that he is eligible for input tax credit the burden of proving such claim or claims shall lie on him.
146. Persons discharging functions under the Act shall be deemed to be public servants
All persons discharging functions under the Act shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (45 of 1860).
147. Indemnity
(1) No legal proceedings shall lie against any goods and services tax officer, for anything which is done or intended to be done in good faith under the Act or the rules.
(2) No departmental proceedings shall lie against any goods and services tax officer for passing any adjudication order or appellate order in good faith under the Act or the rules.
148. Disclosure of information by a public servant
(1) All particulars contained in any statement made, return furnished or accounts or documents produced in accordance with the Act, or in any record of evidence given in the course of any proceedings under the Act (other than proceeding before a Criminal Court), or in any record of any proceedings under the Act shall, save as provided in sub-section (4), be treated as confidential;
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), no Court shall save as aforesaid, be entitled to require any GST officer to produce before it or to give evidence before it in respect of particulars referred to in sub-section (1).
(3) Save as provided in sub-section (4), if any GST officer discloses any of the particulars referred to in sub-section (1), he shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months or with fine or with both:
PROVIDED that, no prosecution shall be instituted under this section except with the previous sanction of the Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be.
(4) Nothing contained in this section shall apply to the disclosure of,-
(a) any such particulars in respect of any such statement, return, accounts, documents, evidence, affidavit or deposition, for the purpose of any prosecution under the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) or the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (49 of 1988), or the Act, or any other law for the time being in force; or
(b) any such particulars to the Central Government or the State Government or to any person acting in the execution of this Act, for verification of such particulars or for the purpose of carrying out the object of the Act; or
(c) any such particulars when such disclosure is occasioned by the lawful employment under the Act of any process for the service of any notice or the recovery of any demand; or
(d) any such particulars to a Civil Court or Tribunal constituted under any Central law in any suit or proceeding, to which the Government or any authority under the Act is a party, which relates to any matter arising out of any proceeding under the Act or under any other law for the time being in force authorising any such authority to exercise any powers thereunder; or
(e) any such particulars to any officer appointed for the purpose of audit of tax receipts or refunds of the tax imposed by the Act; or
(f) any such particulars, where such particulars are relevant for the purpose of any inquiry into the conduct of any GST officer, to any person or persons appointed as an inquiry officer under any relevant law; or
(g) any such particulars, to an officer of the Central Government or any State Government as may be necessary for the purpose of enabling that Government to levy or realise any tax or duty imposed by it; or
(h) any such particulars, when such disclosure is occasioned by the lawful exercise by a public servant or any other statutory authority, of his or its powers under any law for the time being in force; or
(i) any such particulars relevant to any inquiry into a charge of misconduct in connection with any proceedings under the Act against a practising advocate, tax practitioner, a practising cost accountant, a practising chartered accountant, a practising company secretary to the authority empowered to take disciplinary action against the members practising the profession of a legal practitioner, cost accountant, chartered accountant or company secretary, as the case may be; or
(j) any such particulars to any agency appointed for the purposes of data entry on any automated system or for the purpose of operating, upgrading or maintaining any automated system where such agency is contractually bound not to use or disclose such particulars except for the aforesaid purposes; or
(k) any such particulars to an officer of the Central Government or any State Government as may be necessary for the purposes of any other law in force in India; and
(l) any information relating to any class of taxpayers or class of transactions for publication, if, in the opinion of the Competent authority, it is desirable in the public interest, to publish such information.
149. Publication of information respecting persons in certain cases
(1) If the Competent Authority is of opinion that it is necessary or expedient in the public interest to publish the names of any person and any other particulars relating to any proceedings or prosecutions under the Act in respect of such person, it may cause to be published such names and particulars in such manner as it thinks fit.
(2) No publication under this section shall be made in relation to any penalty imposed under the Act until the time for presenting an appeal to the First Appellate Authority under section 98 has expired without an appeal having been presented or the appeal, if presented, has been disposed of.
Explanation. – In the case of firm, company or other association of persons, the names of the partners of the firm, directors, managing agents, secretaries and treasures or managers of the company, or the members of the association, as the case may be, may also be published if, in the opinion of the Competent Authority, circumstances of the case justify it.
150. Assessment proceedings, etc. not to be invalid on certain grounds
(1) No assessment, re-assessment, adjudication, review, revision, appeal, rectification, notice, summons or other proceedings done, accepted, made, issued, initiated, or purported to have been done, accepted, made, issued, initiated in pursuance of any of the provisions of the Act shall be invalid or deemed to be invalid merely by reason of any mistake, defect or omission therein, if such assessment, re-assessment, adjudication, review, revision, appeal, rectification, notice, summons or other proceedings is/are in substance and effect in conformity with or according to the intents, purposes and requirements of the Act or any earlier law.
(2) The service of any notice, order or communication shall not be called in question if the notice, order or communication, as the case may be, has already been acted upon by the person to whom it is issued or where such service has not been called in question at or in the earliest proceedings commenced, continued or finalised pursuant to such notice, order or communication.
151. Rectification of mistakes or errors apparent from record
Without prejudice to the provisions of section 150, and notwithstanding anything contained in any other provisions of this Act, any authority, who has passed or issued any decision or order or summons or notice or certificate or any other document, may rectify any error or mistake which is apparent from record in such decision or order or summons or notice or certificate or any other document, either on its own motion or where such error or mistake is brought to its notice by any CGST / SGST officer or by the affected person within a period of three months from the date of issue of such decision or order or summons or notice or certificate or other document, as the case may be:
PROVIDED that no such rectification shall be done after a period of six months from the date of issue of such decision or order or summons or notice or certificate or any other document:
PROVIDED FURTHER that the period of six months referred to in the first proviso shall not apply in such cases where the rectification is purely in the nature of correction of a clerical or arithmetical error or mistake, arising from any accidental slip or omission:
PROVIDED ALSO that the principles of natural justice shall be followed by the authority carrying out such rectification if it adversely affects any person.
Explanation.— For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that the authority shall not, while rectifying any mistake apparent from record, amend substantive part of its decision or order or summons or notice or certificate or any other document passed or, as the case may be, issued under the provisions of this Act.
152. Bar of jurisdiction of civil courts
Save as provided by section 106 and 107, no civil court shall have jurisdiction to deal with or decide any question arising from or relating to anything done or purported to be done under the Act.
153. Levy of fees
Wherever a copy of any order or document is to be provided to any person on an application made by him for that purpose, there shall be paid such fee as may be prescribed, which may include a fee for such application also.
154. Power of Central (or State) Government to make rules
(1) The Central Government (or the State Government) may, on the recommendation of the Council, make rules, including rules conferring the power to issue notifications with retrospective effect under those rules, to carry into effect the purposes of this Act.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may —
(i) provide for the date for determination of rate of tax and the place of supply of goods or services or both;
(ii) having regard to the normal practice in the supply of goods or services, define or specify the kinds of trade discount to be excluded from the value under section 15 including the circumstances in which and the conditions subject to which such discount is to be so excluded;
(iii) provide for determining the value of taxable supplies in the situations mentioned under section 15;
(iv) provide, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, for the grant of input tax credit of tax paid on the input supplies of goods or services used in or in relation to the providing of the output taxable supplies of goods or services, and the manner of utilization of such credit;
(v) provide for the lapsing of input tax credit lying unutilized, in the circumstances as may be specified in the rules;
(vi) provide for withdrawal of facilities or imposition of restrictions (including restrictions on utilisation of input tax credit) on taxable person or suspension or revocation of registration of taxable person, for evasion of tax or misuse of input tax credit;
(vii) provide, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, for the carrying forward of the unutilized balances of Cenvat credit of the duties of excise and the service tax, under the Cenvat Credit Rules 2004, (or of VAT credit under the state VAT credit rules) lying with the taxable persons on the date of their switching over to GST;
(viii) specify the persons who shall get themselves registered under section 23 and the time, manner and form in which application for registration shall be made;
(ix) provide for the manner of verification of application and issue of registration under the Act and the fees, if any, to be charged therefor;
(x) provide for the situations and manner of grant of deemed registration under the Act;
(xi) provide for the manner of migration, amendment, surrender, revocation, suspension, cancellation of registration under the Act;
(xii) provide for the assessment and collection of tax, the authorities by whom functions under the Act are to be discharged, the issue of notices requiring payment, the manner in which tax shall be payable, and the recovery of tax not paid;
(xiii) impose on taxable persons or other persons as may be specified, the duty of furnishing information, maintaining records and filing returns, and may also prescribe the nature of such information and the form of such records and returns, the particulars to be contained therein, and the manner in which they shall be verified;
(xiv) provide for the form, manner and frequency of the returns to be furnished and the late fee for delayed furnishing of return under relevant section;
(xv) provide for charging or payment of interest under the various provisions of the Act;
(xvi) provide for the detention or attachment of goods, plant, machinery or material and other movable or immovable properties for the purpose of exacting the tax on taxable supplies in respect of which breaches of the Act or rules made thereunder have been committed and the disposal of things so detained or attached or confiscated;
(xvii) authorise and regulate the compounding of offences against, or liabilities incurred under the Act or the rules made thereunder;
(xviii) provide for the amount to be paid for compounding and the manner of compounding of offences under section 97;
(xix) provide for publication, subject to such conditions as may be specified, the names and other particulars of persons found guilty of contravention of any provision of the Act or of any rule made thereunder;
(xx) provide for the manner of recovery of any amount due to the Central Government (or state government) under section 72;
(xxi) authorise and regulate the inspection and audit of business premises and provide for the taking of samples, and for the making of tests, of any substance produced therein, and for the inspection or search of any place or conveyance used for the production, storage, sale, supply or transport of goods, and so far as such inspection or search is essential for the proper levy and collection of the tax imposed by the Act, of any other taxable supply of goods or services;
(xxii) specify the form and manner in which application for refund shall be made under section 48;
(xxiii) provide for the manner in which amounts shall be credited to the Consumer Welfare Fund, their utilization, and the form in which the accounts and records relating to the Fund shall be maintained;
(xxiv) specify the forms in which appeals, applications and memoranda of cross objections shall be filed and verified under Chapter XXI of the Act;
(xxv) provide for the qualifications and the manner of appointment of the National President, the State President, and the Members of the Appellate Tribunal under section 100 of the Act, and other matters related or incidental thereto;
(xxvi) regulate in such manner as the Central Government / State Government thinks fit, the movement of supplies from any part of India to any other part thereof;
(xxvii) regulate the removal of taxable supplies of goods from the place where produced, stored or manufactured or subjected to any process of production or manufacture and their transport to or from the premises of a registered person, or a bonded warehouse, or to a market;
(xxviii) provide for the appointment, licensing, management and supervision of bonded warehouses and the procedure to be followed for entry of goods into such warehouses and clearance of goods therefrom;
(xxix) provide for the distinguishing of supply of goods which have been manufactured after registration, of materials which have been imported, and of supply of goods on which tax has been paid, or which are exempt from tax under this Act, or any other class of goods as may be specified in such rules;
(xxx) require that taxable supplies of specified goods shall not be made except in prescribed containers, bearing a banderol, stamp or label of such nature and affixed in such manner as may be prescribed;
(xxxi) provide for the grant of a rebate of the tax paid on supply of goods or services which are exported out of India or shipped for consumption on a voyage to any port outside India including interest thereon;
(xxxii) provide for rebate of tax paid or payable on the taxable supply of services used as input services in the supply of goods or services exported out of India under section 48;
(xxxiii) provide for the charging of fees for the examination of goods intended for export out of India and for rendering any other service by a GST Officer under this Act or the rules made thereunder;
(xxxiv) authorise the Board (or competent authority) or officers of GST, as the case may be, appointed for the purposes of this Act to provide, by written instructions, for supplemental matters arising out of any rule made by the Central Government (or the State Government) under this section;
(xxxv) provide for the manner of provisional attachment of property under section 77;
(xxxvi) make provisions for determining export of taxable supply of services;
(xxxvii) provide for grant of exemption to, or rebate of tax paid on, taxable supply of services which are exported out of India;
(xxxviii) provide for manner of administering of payment of taxes under the compounding of tax;
(xxxix) provide for dealing with situations where goods are returned;
(xl) provide for specifying the details to be given in the invoices, the maintenance of accounts, the furnishing of audit reports, and matters related thereto;
(xli) provide for the qualifications and the manner of appointment of the Advance Ruling authority under section 114 of the Act, and other matters related to functioning of the authority;
(xlii) provide for the qualifications of tax return preparers, tax practitioners and authorized representatives under various provisions of the Act, the manner of their selection or appointment or nomination, their codes of conduct, and other matters related or incidental thereto;
(xliii) provide for matters relating to tax deducted at source and tax collected at source;
(xliv) provide for matters covered by Chapter XXVII;
(xlv) provide for the suspension of certain facilities admissible under this Act or the rules made there under in case of repeat violations of conditions and restrictions as may be prescribed;
(xlvi) provide for manner of conduct of audit of registered taxable person under Chapter XVI; and
(xlvii) any other matter related to administering or enforcing the provisions of the
Act.
(3) The power to make rules conferred by this section shall on the first occasion of the exercise thereof include the power to give retrospective effect to the rules or any of them from a date not earlier than the date on which the provisions of this Chapter come into force.
(4) In making rules under this section, the Central Government (or State Government) may provide that any person committing a breach of any rule shall, where no other penalty is provided by the Act, be liable to a penalty not exceeding ten thousand rupees.
155. General power to make Regulations
(1) The Commissioner may make regulations consistent with this Act and rules, generally to carry out the purposes of this Act.
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing powers, such regulations may provide for all or any of the following matters namely-
(a) ………..
(b) ………..
(c) ………..
156. Delegation of powers
The Competent Authority may, by notification in the Gazette direct that subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the notification, any power exercisable by any authority or officer under the Act may be exercisable also by another authority or officer as may be specified in such notification.
157. Instructions to GST Officers
(1) The Board [the Competent Authority of the State Government as notified] may, if it considers it necessary or expedient so to do for the purpose of uniformity in the implementation of the Act, issue such orders, instructions or directions to the GST Officers as it may deem fit, and thereupon all GST officers and all other persons employed in the execution of the Act shall observe and follow such orders, instructions or directions:
PROVIDED that no such orders, instructions or directions shall be issued —
(a) so as to require any GST Officer to make a particular assessment /adjudication or to dispose of a particular case in a particular manner; or
(b) so as to interfere with the discretion of the First Appellate Authority in the exercise of his appellate functions.
(2) The Commissioner specified in sub-section (79), (83) of section 2, sub-section (3) of section 6, clause (b) of sub-section(4) of section 17 , clause (a) of sub-section (7) of section 23 , sub-section (1) of section 32, sub-section (2) of section 33, sub-section (6) of section 34, section 88, sub -section (3) of section 101, sub-section (1) of section 141 , and sub-section (1) of 155 shall mean a Commissioner or Joint Secretary posted in the Board and such Commissioner or Joint Secretary shall exercise the powers specified in the said sections with the approval of the Board.
(CGST Act)
158. Removal of difficulties
(1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to any provision of the Act, the Central Government / State Government may, on the recommendation of the Council, by general or special order published in the Gazette, do anything which appears to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of removing the difficulty:
PROVIDED that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of effect of the provision giving rise to the difficulty.
(2) Every order made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is made, before Parliament / State Legislature.
159. Service of notice in certain circumstances
(1) Any decision, order, summons, notice or other communication under the Act or the rules made there under shall be served by any one of the following methods, namely: –
(a) by giving or tendering it directly or by a messenger including a courier to the addressee or the taxpayer or to his manager or to agent duly authorized or an advocate or a tax practitioner holding authority to appear in the proceeding on behalf of the taxpayer or to a person regularly employed by him in connection with the business, or to any adult member of family residing with the taxpayer, or
(b) by registered post or speed post or courier with acknowledgement due, to the person for whom it is intended or his authorised agent, if any at his last known place of business or residence, or
(c) by sending a communication to his e-mail address provided at the time of registration or as amended from time to time, or
(d) by making it available on the Common Portal, or
(e) by publication in a newspaper circulating in the locality in which the taxpayer or the person to whom it is issued is last known to have resided, carried on business or personally worked for gain, or
(f) if none of the modes aforesaid is practicable, by affixing it in some conspicuous place at his last known place of business or residence, or
(g) if the mode prescribed under (f) is also not practicable for any reason, then by affixing a copy thereof on the notice board of the office or authority who or which passed such decision or order or issued such summons or notice.
(2) Every decision, order, summons, notice or any communication shall be deemed to have been served on the date on which it is tendered or published or a copy thereof is affixed in the manner provided in sub-section (1).
(3) When such decision, order, summons, notice or any communication is sent by registered post or speed post, it shall be deemed to have been received by the addressee at the expiry of the period normally taken by such post in transit unless the contrary is proved.
160. Rounding off of tax etc.
The amount of tax, interest, penalty, fine or any other sum payable, and the amount of refund or any other sum due, under the provisions of the Act shall be rounded off to the nearest rupee and, for this purpose, where such amount contains a part of a rupee consisting of paise then, if such part is fifty paise or more, it shall be increased to one rupee and if such part is less than fifty paise it shall be ignored.
161. Effect of amendments, etc., of rules, notifications or orders
Where any rule, notification or order made or issued under the Act or any notification or order issued under such rule, is amended, repealed, superseded or rescinded, then, unless a different intention appears, such amendment, repeal, supersession or rescinding shall not –
(a) revive anything not in force or existing at the time at which the amendment, repeal, supersession or rescinding takes effect; or
(b) affect the previous operation of any rule, notification or order so amended, repealed, superseded or rescinded or anything duly done or suffered thereunder; or
(c) affect any right, privilege, obligation or liability acquired, accrued or incurred under any rule, notification or order so amended, repealed, superseded or rescinded; or
(d) affect any penalty, forfeiture or punishment incurred in respect of any offence committed under or in violation of any rule, notification or order so amended, repealed, superseded or rescinded; or
(e) affect any investigation, legal proceeding or remedy in respect of any such right, privilege, obligation, liability, penalty, forfeiture or punishment as aforesaid, and any such investigation, legal proceeding or remedy may be instituted, continued or enforced and any such penalty, forfeiture or punishment may be imposed as if the rule, notification or order, as the case may be, had not been amended, repealed, superseded or rescinded.
162. Publication of rules and notifications and laying of rules before Parliament / State Legislature
(1) All rules made and notifications issued under the Act shall be published in the Official Gazette.
(2) Every rule made under the Act, every notification issued under section, section —-, section and section (depending on the final full draft) and every order made under section —-, section —-, section and section
(depending on the final full draft), other than an order relating to goods or services or both of strategic, secret, individual or personal nature, shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made or issued, before Parliament / State Legislature, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session, or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, Parliament / State Legislature agree in making any modification in the rule or notification or order, or Parliament / State Legislature agree that the rule should not be made or notification or order should not be issued or made, the rule or notification or order shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule or notification or order.
163. Anti-profiteering Measure
(1) The Central Government may by law constitute an Authority, or entrust an existing Authority constituted under any law, to examine whether input tax credits availed by any registered taxable person or the reduction in the price on account of any reduction in the tax rate have actually resulted in a commensurate reduction in the price of the said goods and/or services supplied by him.
(2) The Authority referred to in sub-section (1) shall exercise such functions and have such powers, including those for imposition of penalty, as may be prescribed in cases where it finds that the price being charged has not been reduced as aforesaid.
