Madras High CourtTax LawAdministrative and Public Law

Madras HC Dismisses Former Director’s Challenge To ₹90.68-Lakh GST Demand, Leaving PAN-India Turnover Dispute For Appeal

Ashok Georgev.The State Tax Officer,

Madras HC Dismisses Former Director’s Challenge To ₹90.68-Lakh GST Demand, Leaving PAN-India Turnover Dispute For Appeal. Ashok George vs The State Tax Officer,. Madras High Court. LawLens
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In brief

The question

1. Whether the petitioner was entitled to writ relief or a remand in respect of the ex parte assessment, despite notice having been uploaded to the GST portal and attempted service by RPAD.

The court held

The Court declined to quash or remand the assessment and dismissed the writ petition, leaving the petitioner to challenge the quantified assessment before the Appellate Authority.

It also directed

It made no order as to costs, allowed W.M.P. No. 49852 of 2026, and closed the connected miscellaneous petition.

01Facts

The petitioner, a former director of a company whose business had closed in 2024, challenged an ex parte order under Section 73 of the TNGST/CGST Act, 2017, raising a demand of ₹45,34,291 each towards CGST and SGST for FY 2021–22.

pp. 1–2, 5

He contended that the assessment had wrongly attributed the company’s PAN-India turnover—including turnover from Karnataka and Telangana registrations—to its Tamil Nadu registration, despite tax having been paid on the Tamil Nadu turnover.

pp. 2–3, 5

The respondent stated that the show-cause notice and reminders had been served through the GST portal and by RPAD; the physical notice was returned undelivered.

pp. 3–4

The petitioner sought to have the assessment quashed and the matter remanded.

p. 1

02Issues

i.1. Whether the petitioner was entitled to writ relief or a remand in respect of the ex parte assessment, despite notice having been uploaded to the GST portal and attempted service by RPAD.

pp. 4–6, 8

ii.2. Whether the alleged inclusion of PAN-India turnover, and the resulting disputed tax quantification, could be determined in proceedings under Article 226.

pp. 5–6, 7–8

03Law Applied

Section 73 of the TNGST/CGST Act, 2017, was the basis for the impugned assessment.

p. 1

The Court treated portal service and attempted service by RPAD as reasonable steps to serve notice in this case; it also stated that a taxpayer closing its business must notify the jurisdictional authority and apply to surrender or cancel its GST registration.

pp. 4–5

Disputed factual questions concerning turnover and tax quantification were considered unsuitable for determination in the exercise of writ jurisdiction under Article 226, with a statutory appeal identified as the appropriate remedy.

pp. 5–6

No precedent was cited.

Provisions in the judgment · 1 · Linked ones open on LawLens

Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 Section 73

04Reasoning

The Court found that the respondent had uploaded the show-cause notice to the GST portal, issued three reminders, and attempted physical service by RPAD.

p. 4

It held that the petitioner’s failure to respond or notify the authorities of the business closure did not justify an automatic remand.

pp. 4–6

The petitioner’s claims that the assessment used consolidated turnover and would result in double taxation raised disputed factual matters, including the allocation of turnover among State registrations, which the Court declined to resolve under Article 226.

p. 5

It therefore directed the petitioner to pursue the statutory appeal to challenge the assessment’s quantification.

p. 6

05Holding

The Court declined to quash or remand the assessment and dismissed the writ petition, leaving the petitioner to challenge the quantified assessment before the Appellate Authority.

p. 6

It made no order as to costs, allowed W.M.P. No. 49852 of 2026, and closed the connected miscellaneous petition.

p. 6
Madras High Court

Original Court PDF

Ashok GeorgevsThe State Tax Officer,

Madras High Court · November 05, 2026

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