Negative ITC Blocking Held Illegal: SC Affirms Limits of Rule 86A

CA Chitresh Gupta 13 Dec 2025 1,548 Views 0 comment Print Goods and Services Tax | Articles

Supreme Court Puts Final Seal: Negative Blocking of ITC under Rule 86A Is Unsustainable – The Way Forward

1. Introduction

Input Tax Credit is the backbone of the GST framework, designed to ensure tax neutrality and seamless flow of credit across the supply chain. Any restriction on ITC, therefore, has immediate and tangible commercial consequences. Recognising the potential for misuse, the legislature empowered the administration under Rule 86A to temporarily restrict utilisation of ITC in exceptional circumstances.

The controversy arose when this emergency provision began to be used not merely to freeze existing credit, but to block future utilisation beyond the available balance, resulting in negative ECL positions. This practice raised fundamental questions regarding statutory interpretation, procedural fairness, and constitutional limits on executive power.

2. Statutory Framework of Rule 86A

Rule 86A permits the Commissioner or an authorised officer to disallow debit of ITC available in the ECL where there are reasons to believe that such credit has been fraudulently availed or is ineligible, on specified grounds.

Key statutory characteristics include:

Temporary nature of the restriction
No adjudication or recovery contemplated under the Rule
Maximum validity of one year
Mandatory unblocking once conditions cease to exist

Notably, the Rule operates in isolation from the adjudicatory machinery under Sections 73 and 74, and recovery provisions under Section 79 of the CGST Act.

3. Emergence of the Practice of Negative Blocking

In practice, authorities began blocking amounts in excess of the ITC available in the ECL, effectively creating a negative balance. This resulted in:

Forced cash payment of future GST liabilities
Artificial working capital stress
Indirect recovery of disputed tax without adjudication

Such actions blurred the line between preventive protection and coercive recovery, leading to widespread litigation.

4. Judicial Determination: Settling the Law

4.1 Delhi High Court – Best Crop Science Pvt. Ltd.

In Best Crop Science Pvt. Ltd. [2024 (9) TMI 1543 – Delhi HC], the Court undertook a detailed analysis of Rule 86A and held that:

Rule 86A is not a machinery provision for recovery
It cannot be interpreted to require replenishment of the ECL
Negative blocking amounts to de facto tax recovery without due process

The Court clearly distinguished between blocking of available credit and recovery of allegedly wrongly utilised credit, holding that the latter can only be achieved through Sections 73 or 74.

4.2 Consistent Judicial View

The same reasoning was subsequently applied in:

In each case, negative blocking was struck down as being beyond the scope of Rule 86A.

4.3 Supreme Court Seal of Finality

The controversy reached its logical conclusion when the Hon’ble Supreme Court dismissed the Department’s SLPs in:

Though brief, these orders carry decisive legal weight, affirming that negative blocking has no sanction in law.

Negative ITC Blocking Held Illegal SC Affirms Limits of Rule 86A

5. Key Legal Principles Emerging

The settled jurisprudence establishes the following principles:

1. Rule 86A is preventive, not punitive

2. ITC can be blocked only to the extent available in the ECL

3. Past utilisation cannot be reversed through future blocking

4. Recovery must follow adjudication under Sections 73/74

5. Emergency powers cannot substitute statutory recovery mechanisms

6. Implications for Tax Administration and Industry

For businesses, the judgments restore predictability and protect liquidity. For the administration, they serve as a reminder that efficiency cannot override legality. Persistent use of ultra vires measures not only erodes taxpayer confidence but also burdens the judiciary with avoidable disputes.

7. Suggestions to the Government and CBIC

In light of the settled law, the following measures merit consideration:

7.1 Clarificatory Circular

A CBIC circular explicitly prohibiting negative blocking would ensure uniformity across field formations and reduce litigation.

7.2 Standard Operating Procedures

Clear SOPs should govern invocation, review, and revocation of Rule 86A actions, including documentation of “reasons to believe”.

7.3 System-Level Controls

GSTN should technically restrict blocking to the extent of available ITC, eliminating discretionary excesses.

7.4 Capacity Building

Training programmes must sensitise officers on the distinction between protective restrictions and recovery proceedings.

8. Conclusion

The Rule 86A litigation saga underscores an important lesson in tax governance: extraordinary powers demand extraordinary restraint. By decisively invalidating negative blocking, the judiciary has reaffirmed that taxpayer rights and due process are integral to the GST framework, not obstacles to revenue collection.

With judicial clarity now firmly established, the onus lies on the executive to institutionalise these principles and ensure that Rule 86A functions as intended—a shield for revenue, not a substitute for adjudication.

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This article is intended for tax professionals, policymakers, and academicians, and reflects the law as settled by the Hon’ble Supreme Court as on date.