Telangana Commercial Taxes Vs Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Telangana High Court)
Telangana High Court on July 26, 2025, directed the state authorities to decide within eight weeks on the representation seeking gazetted status for Deputy State Tax Officers (DSTOs) in the Commercial Taxes Department. The writ petition, filed by the Telangana Commercial Taxes Officers’ Association, highlighted the prolonged delay in granting this status despite multiple representations and recommendations.
The Association, representing Assistant Commercial Tax Officers redesignated as DSTOs, argued that its members perform significant statutory, executive, and quasi-judicial functions under the Telangana VAT Act, 2005, and the GST Act. These duties include registration, inspections, levying penalties, and confiscation of goods.
The pursuit for gazetted status began in 2017, with representations submitted on February 23, 2017, May 3, 2017, January 24, 2018, and most recently on May 19, 2025. The Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Hyderabad, has consistently supported this request through various communications since 2017. Furthermore, the First Pay Revision Commission, Telangana, in its 2020 Report, recommended gazetted status for this cadre. The petition also noted that similar posts in other state departments, such as Deputy Tahsildars and Sub-Registrars, already hold gazetted status. Notably, the Government of Andhra Pradesh conferred gazetted status upon its GST Officers performing identical functions in April 2022.
