Case Law Details
Whether the service rendered by the petitioner in the form of chemical treatment of effluent water for the awarder amounts to sale of goods in the execution of works contract
We would think that the moment the assessee pours the chemicals into the effluent, he will cease to be the owner and at that point of time the awarder must be deemed to have taken delivery of the same. In our view the fact that upon it being poured into the effluent, it loses its identity and that it is consumed will not detract from the fact that there is delivery of the same to the awarder. The assessee does not have a case that the effluent belongs to the assessee. We do not think that it can be their case that the effluent does not belong to the awarder. Let us pose a question, if a complaint by a third party is raised about the treated effluent, can the awarder absolve itself of the ownership of the same? We would think, it may not be possible. Therefore we would be justified in holding that the effluent and the treated effluent both belonged to the awarder. It is, therefore, into the property of the awarder, namely the effluent that the assessee supplies the chemical. The Apex Court in its decision in Gannon Dunkerley & Co. & Others v. State of Rajasthan & Others ((1993) 1 SCC 364) had, inter alia, held that cost of consumables, such as, water, electricity, fuel etc. used in the execution of the works contract, the property in which is not transferred in the course of execution of a works contract, is to be deducted. In Section 5C also, the words “not involving any transfer of property in goods” have been incorporated. Just like the toner and developer having been put into xerox machine becoming the property of the customer in the case before the Apex Court in Xerox Modicorp Ltd case and the sale taking place before the goods are consumed, in the same way, the property in the chemical passed to the awarder the moment they are put into the effluent by the assessee and its subsequent consumption is the consumption after sale and it does not detract from the factum of sale and consequently the exigibility to tax becomes unquestionable.
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
ST. Rev. No. 30 of 2004
M/s. Enviro Chemicals, – Petitioner
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