LexStreakRead free →
Madras High Court· 24 July 2026

Is the Division Bench ruling in Sha Kantilal Jayantilal denying input tax credit on DEPB licences per incuriam?

M/s. P.I. Polymers v. Commercial Tax Officer, Pattaravakkam Assessment Circle
W.A.Nos.384 & 387 of 2020 · W.A.Nos.384 & 387 of 2020
Coram: Dr. G.Jayachandran; N. Mala; G. Jayachandran
🔖 Save this judgment🔔 Follow Section 19 of the Tamil Nadu Val…📬 Get today's judgments
View the original judgment PDFFree to read. To download it — or the LexStreak typeset copy with the headnote and Points of Law — create an account; downloads are part of the Pro plan.
Answer

No. The ruling in M/s.Sha Kantilal Jayantilal v. State of Tamil Nadu analysed the entire scheme of Section 19 of the TNVAT Act and the Supreme Court decisions on DEPB and REP licences before holding that DEPB licences do not qualify for input tax credit, so it is a binding precedent and not per incuriam.

Headnote

Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006 — s.19 — Input Tax Credit — DEPB licence — Section 2(21) — meaning of goods — Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006 — s.19(1) — Input tax credit — restriction to goods specified in First Schedule — Held: Input tax credit under Section 19(1) of the TNVAT Act is available only where the tax paid or payable relates to taxable goods specified in the First Schedule, and a DEPB licence, though falling within the definition of goods under Section 2(21), is not itself listed in Part A, Part B or Part C of the First Schedule. (¶32) Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006 — s.19(2) — Input tax credit — DEPB licence excluded — no nexus with imported goods — Held further: A DEPB licence is distinct from the goods imported on its strength; only the goods actually imported using the licence, if taxed under the Act and listed in the First Schedule, can attract input tax credit under Section 19(1), and the duty paid on the DEPB licence itself does not qualify under Section 19(2). (¶33, 34) Precedent — binding effect of Division Bench ruling — per incuriam plea rejected — Held further: The Division Bench ruling in M/s.Sha Kantilal Jayantilal v. State of Tamil Nadu, which examined the scheme of Section 19 in detail and denied input tax credit on DEPB licences, is not per incuriam and remains binding on the question of entitlement to credit on DEPB purchases. (¶17-20, 22) Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006 — s.19 — Input tax credit — assessee not entitled — appeal dismissed — Held further: The assessee, having purchased DEPB licences and imported plastic granules sold as such, is not entitled to input tax credit on the tax borne on the DEPB licence for discharging output tax on sale of plastic granules, as DEPB licences are not goods specified in the First Schedule. Writ Appeals dismissed. (¶33, 23)

In the Court's own words
Paragraph 17Paragraph No.34 of the judgment alone been considered by the Learned Single Judge to arrive at the conclusion that M/s.Sha Kantilal Jayantilal (cited supra) requires re-look.
Paragraph 22Before considering the issue as to whether DEPB licences constitute "goods" within the meaning of Page Nos.17/26 section 2(21) of the TNVAT Act, 2006, it may be useful to look at the ratio decidendi of the decision of the Supreme Court in Yasha Overseas [2008] 17 VST 182 (SC). The said decision arose under interesting circumstances. In H. Anraj v. Government of Tamil Nadu [1986] 61 STC 165 (SC) ; (1986) 1 SCC 414, the Supreme Court held that lottery tickets constituted "goods" within the meaning of the expression "goods" as given in the Tamil Nadu General Sales tax Act, 1959 and the Bengal Finance (Sales Tax) Act, 1941.
Acts & Sections
Section 19 of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 19(1) of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 19(2) of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 2(21) of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 2(23) of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 2(24) of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 3(3) of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006Section 8 of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956

One judgment a day. That's the whole habit.

Read the full text of M/s. P.I. Polymers v. Commercial Tax Officer, Pattaravakkam Assessment Circle — and get the Supreme Court's output as a five-minute daily read, with plain-language headnotes and the questions each judgment settles.

Create my free account

Free forever plan · 30 seconds · data stays in India

Open the full judgment →

Also decided in this judgment
Under the TNVAT Act, is a DEPB licence goods under Section 2(21) but still ineligible for input tax credit under Section 19?Can input tax credit under Section 19(2) of the TNVAT Act be claimed on a DEPB licence used to import plastic granules sold as granules?
Plain-language answer prepared by the LexStreak Editorial Desk — verify against the judgment. Source: Madras High Court. Corrections