‘Will not cease Skoda consignments’: Customs to HC

MUMBAI: The customs division on Monday knowledgeable Bombay excessive court docket that it’s going to not cease the clearance of consignments of German auto main Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, going through allegations of $1.4 billion responsibility evasion.
N Venkataraman, further solicitor common from Delhi representing the Indian customs, made the assertion earlier than the HC bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla because it posted a petition filed by Škoda to Feb 20 for additional listening to.
The corporate just lately approached HC to problem as “arbitrary and unlawful” the Sept 2024 showcause discover. The discover was issued final yr below the Customs Act over vehicle components imports. Senior counsel Arvind Datar and Rohan Shah for Škoda argued the discover was untenable and misdirected as the corporate’s import was of components which fell below a unique classification that requires every half to be assessed independently.
Datar mentioned the corporate had a “constant mannequin” throughout the globe and was not making an attempt to evade any regulation or to avoid wasting on duties.