Bombay High Court dismisses plea on GST

MUMBAI: The petition, filed by retired professor K S Pillai, had challenged the Union government’s decision to implement the GST, a “major tax reform, in the middle of the financial year”.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking deferring the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) till the beginning of the next financial year.

The petition, filed by retired professor K S Pillai, had challenged the Union government’s decision to implement the GST, a “major tax reform, in the middle of the financial year”.

The GST, an indirect tax system that will replace the existing taxes levied by the Centre and state, was rolled out on July 1. The Union government had opposed the petition and said the decision to implement the GST had been carefully considered by Parliament and that its implementation was in public interest.

Anil Singh, appearing for the government, argued, “There is no prohibition in law to prevent the government from implementing the GST at any point in the year, as long as it has the sanction of Parliament.”