Case: Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited Vs. Union of India

2. Union of India has come up in appeal against the judgment and order of the Division Bench of the Patna High Court directing the Assistant Collector of Central Excise, Jamshedpur, to pass without delay appropriate final order on all the price lists already submitted by the Company. The Court also held that the price at which the Company sold the vehicles at the factory gate at Jamshedpur should be the normal price for the purpose of computation of the value of the excisable goods. The Court also held that the Assistant Collector of Central Excise could only call for relevant documents for the purpose of assessment of the value of the excisable goods. In the facts of this case, price lists of Regional Sales Offices of Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co. (TELCO) could not be said to be relevant for passing final orders on the price lists submitted by the Company

Reasoning: 4. In our view, this petition should not have been entertained by the High Court at all. The Assistant Collector is entitled to complete the assessment as he thinks fit in exercise of his judgment and according to his understanding of the law and facts. For this purpose, he can call for and examine whatever documents he considers relevant. If the Assistant Collector fails to follow any judgment of the High Court or this Court, the assessee had adequate statutory remedies by way of an appeal and revision against the assessment order. The Court should not try to control the mode and manner in which an assessment should be made. If the Assistant Collector is of the view that enquiries are necessary to be made as to the price at which trucks were sold at the Regional Sales Offices, the Court cannot stop him from making such enquiries