IMPORTANT POINTS
Exemption granted to a unit is specific to it. Production results of another unit cannot be clubbed to meet exemption requirements.
Exemption rules should be construed liberally provided the unit has fulfilled the conditions thereof.

JUDGMENT

Dipak Misra, J.

1. Calling in question the legal acceptability and propriety of the judgment and order dated 08.05.2003 passed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh in C.W.P. No. 16336 of 2002 whereby the Division Bench has quashed the order dated 26.9.2002 passed by the Sales Tax Tribunal, Haryana which had affirmed the orders passed by the appellate authority, namely, Joint Excise and Taxation and that of the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Gurgaon), the original authority who had, upon initiation of a proceeding under Rule 28 (11) (b) of the Haryana General Sales Tax Rules, 1975 (for short "the Rules"), come to hold that the respondent-assessee herein had violated the provisions of Rule 28A (11) (a) (i) as it had failed to maintain, without convincing reasons, the requisite production and was, therefore, liable to make full payment of tax exemption benefit availed by it during the concessional period, i.e., 13.12.1991 to 12.12.1998 of sale of Electronic Push Button Telephones (EPBT), the present appeal, by special leave, has been preferred by the State of Haryana and its functionaries.

2. The facts that are imperative to be stated are that the respondent assessee, namely, M/s. Bharti Teletech Limited, was allowed sales tax exemption under Rule 28A of the Rules for the period 13.12.1991 to 12.12.1998 for an amount of Rs.498.80 lakhs. This benefit was granted subject to the conditions laid down in the said sub-rule 11 of Rule 28A of the Rules. The conditions postulated in sub-rule 11 (a) are that the industrial unit after availing of the benefit shall continue its production at least for the next five years not below the level of average production for the preceding five years.

There is also stipulation in the sub-rule 11 that if the unit violates any of the conditions laid down in clause (a) of sub-rule 11, it shall be liable to make, in addition to the full amount of tax benefit availed of by it during the period of exemption, payment of interest chargeable under the Act as if no tax exemption was ever available to it. It is apt to note that there is a proviso that provides that the rigors of the said clause would not come into play if the loss of production is explained to the satisfaction of the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner concerned as being due to reasons beyond the control of the unit.

3. As the facts would uncurtain, on 3.05.1997, the assessee submitted an application seeking amendment in the eligibility certificate so as to include certain other items but it was rejected vide order dated 22.7.1997 by the High Level Screening Committee. On an appeal being filed, the Commissioner of Industries accepted the same and remitted the matter to the High Level Screening Committee to revise the eligibility certificate allowing the benefit of sales tax exemption by inclusion of additional items. However, the period of exemption remained unaltered. Be it noted, the assessee was granted the full benefit of exemption for the entire period.

4. After the expiry of the period of exemption, the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Gurgaon), the 2nd appellant herein, while monitoring the production level of the respondent unit, noticed that it was not maintaining the level of production of the preceding five years and, accordingly, initiated a proceeding against it on the foundation that it had violated the conditions enumerated under Rule 28A (11) (a) (i) and was thereby liable to make full payment of tax exemption benefit already availed by it along with interest. As required under the Rules, it issued a notice to show cause to explain non-maintenance of average production after the expiry of the benefit period inasmuch as it had drastically come down to Rs.9.06 crores from 17.52 crores.

In the course of adjudication, in reply to the show cause, the assessee explained that it had established anot