INDIA BUSINESS WORLD - 1^st May To 15^th May - 2009

SUPREME COURT DROPS PLEA AGAINST SUN PHARMA

The Supreme Court has dismissed the central excise department's plea alleging that pharma major Sun Pharmaceuticals was undervaluing its physician's samples and thus paying lesser duty. It alleged that the pharma major, which manufactured both commercial packs and physician's sample packs, was clearing the latter at a lower assessable value than the prorata value of the sale packs of the same medicines. A bench headed by Justice SH Kapadia, while dismissing the department's plea, upheld the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal's judgement that denied relief to it.