Integrated Capital Services Limited vs. Union of India & Ors.
Background
The petitioner company found that an order actually relating to a different entity, M/s Safran Electronics & Defense Services India Private Limited, had been wrongly uploaded onto its own GST portal account. Despite repeated requests to the tax authorities to fix this, the error was not rectified, forcing the petitioner to approach the High Court.
Decision Breakdown
By the time of the final hearing, counsel for the Union of India admitted the mistake was not disputed and stated the erroneous order had already been removed from one GST portal section (APL-04) but remained in another (APL-03). The Court disposed of the petition by directing the respondents to remove the erroneous order from GST APL-03 as well, within ten days.
Lesson Learnt
Government tax portals can wrongly attach another taxpayer's records to your account, and if the department drags its feet on fixing an admitted clerical error, a writ petition is a legitimate and often quick route to get a corrective direction from the High Court.