# STATE OF PUNJAB & ORS v. M/S. CHANDU LAL KISHORI LAL & ORS. ETC

- **Citation:** [1969] 3 S.C.R. 849
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1969-02-27
- **Case number:** Civil Appeals Nos. 2516 to 2519 of 1966
- **Bench:** M. Hidayatullah, V. Ramaswami, G. K. MITTEll
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/state-of-punjab-ors-v-m-s-chandu-lal-kishori-lal-ors-etc-4650
- **Pages:** 6

## Headnote

Punjab Sal« Tax Act (Punj. 46 of 1948), s. 5(2)(a)(vi)-Deduction
of Jale price of cotton seeds from purchase turnover if permissible.
. The respondent a dealer purchased unginned cotton and after ginnmg the cotton and removing the seeds sold the ginned cotton to customers outside the State.
The respondent paid purchase tax on the purchase turnover. In respect of cotton seeds sold by it to registered dealers
the respondent claimed deduction from the purchase turnover under s'.
5(2) (a) (vi) of the Punjab Sales Tax Act, 1948. But the as"""ing autho,
rity did not allow the deduction holding that the goods sold viz .. cotton
seeds were not the goods in respect of whitjb purchase tax had been levied
as the unginned cotton underwent a manufacturing process and the goods
produced were different from those purchased.
The respondent filed a
writ petition in the High Court, which was allowed and the State's Letters
Patent Appeal was dismissed.
Allowing the State's appeal, this Court;
HELD: The respondent was not entitled to deduction under s. 5(2)
(a) (vi) of tlle Act in respect of cotton seeds sold by it to registered
dca1ers.
"Declared goods" in s. 14 of the Central Sales Tax Act 1956 are individually specified undc'r separate items. "Cotton ginned or unginned" is
treated as a single commodity under one item of declared goods.
It is
evident that cotton ginned or unginned being treated as a single commodity and as a single spe~s ·of declared goods cannot be aubject under
'· 15(a) of the Central Sales Tax Act to a tax exceeding two per cent of
the sale or purchase price thereof or at more than one state. But so far
as cotton seeds are concerned it cannot be held that the sale of cotton
seeds mu•! be treated as a sale of declared goods for the purpose of s.
l S (a) or (b) of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956. Cotton in ita unginoed
~tate contaim cotton seeds, but it is by a manufacturing process that the
cotton and the seed are separated and it i• not correct to oav that the
seed so separated is cotton itself or part of the cotton. They are two
distinct commercial good• though before the manufacturing process the
se·eds mi£ht have been a part of the cotton itself. [853 E]
Pott/ Cotton Company Private Ltd. v. State of Punjab & Ors., 15
S.T.C. 865, disapproved.

## Text

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STATE OF PUNJAB & ORS.
v.
M/S. CHANDU LAL KISHORI LAL & ORS. ETC,
February 27, 1969
[M. HIDAYATULLAH, C.J., V. RAMASWAMI AND G. K. MITTEll, JJ.J
Punjab Sal« Tax Act (Punj. 46 of 1948), s. 5(2)(a)(vi)-Deduction
of Jale price of cotton seeds from purchase turnover if permissible.
. The respondent a dealer purchased unginned cotton and after ginnmg the cotton and removing the seeds sold the ginned cotton to customers outside the State.
The respondent paid purchase tax on the purchase turnover. In respect of cotton seeds sold by it to registered dealers
the respondent claimed deduction from the purchase turnover under s'.
5(2) (a) (vi) of the Punjab Sales Tax Act, 1948. But the as"""ing autho,
rity did not allow the deduction holding that the goods sold viz .. cotton
seeds were not the goods in respect of whitjb purchase tax had been levied
as the unginned cotton underwent a manufacturing process and the goods
produced were different from those purchased.
The respondent filed a
writ petition in the High Court, which was allowed and the State's Letters
Patent Appeal was dismissed.
Allowing the State's appeal, this Court;
HELD: The respondent was not entitled to deduction under s. 5(2)
(a) (vi) of tlle Act in respect of cotton seeds sold by it to registered
dca1ers.
"Declared goods" in s. 14 of the Central Sales Tax Act 1956 are individually specified undc'r separate items. "Cotton ginned or unginned" is
treated as a single commodity under one item of declared goods.
It is
evident that cotton ginned or unginned being treated as a single commodity and as a single spe~s ·of declared goods cannot be aubject under
'· 15(a) of the Central Sales Tax Act to a tax exceeding two per cent of
the sale or purchase price thereof or at more than one state. But so far
as cotton seeds are concerned it cannot be held that the sale of cotton
seeds mu•! be treated as a sale of declared goods for the purpose of s.
l S (a) or (b) of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956. Cotton in ita unginoed
~tate contaim cotton seeds, but it is by a manufacturing process that the
cotton and the seed are separated and it i• not correct to oav that the
seed so separated is cotton itself or part of the cotton. They are two
distinct commercial good• though before the manufacturing process the
se·eds mi£ht have been a part of the cotton itself. [853 E]
Pott/ Cotton Company Private Ltd. v. State of Punjab & Ors., 15
S.T.C. 865, disapproved.
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeals Nos. 2516
to 2519 of 1966.
Appeals from the onlers dated February 10, 1965, March
31, 1965 and March 19, 1965 of the Punjab High Court i!J Letters.
Patent Appeals Nos. 38, 36, 100 and 74 of 1965, respectively and
Civil Appeals Nos. 806 and 807 of 1967.
8 50
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
(I 969] 3 S.C.R
Appeals from the judgments and. orders dated September 28.
A
1964 of the Punjab High Court in Civil Writ Nos. 2159 and 2309
of 1963.
V. D. Molzajan and R. N. Saclzthey, for the appellants (in all
the appeals).
Harder Singh, for the respondents (in C.As. Nos. 2517 "1!ri
2519 of 1966) and for the respondents (in C.As. Nos. 806 and
807 of 1967).
Civil Appeal No. 2518 of 1966
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Ramaswami, J.
In this case the respondent is a partnership
firm carrying on the business of buying and selling cotton and also
of ginning and pressing cotton at Barnala. The respondent purchased unginned cotton and after ginning the cotton by a mechanical process and removing the seeds sold the ginned cotton to customers outside the State.
For th~ period from 1st April, 1961
to 31st March, 1962 the respondent paid purchase tax on the purchase turnover. In respect of cotton seeds sold by it to registered
dealers, the respondent claimed deduction from the purchase turnover under s. 5(2)(a)(vi) of the Punjab Sales Tax Act, 1948
(Act No. 46 of 1948). But the assessing authority did not allow
the deduction holding that the goods sold viz., cotton seeds were
not the goods in respect of which purchase tax had been levied. In
other words, the assessing authority took the stand that the unginned cotton underwent a manufacturing process and the goods
produced were different from those purchased. So the respondent
firm was assessed to pay a tax of Rs. 16,452 by the oq:ler of the
assessing authority dated 11th September, 1963. The respondent
firm thereafter filed a writ petition No. 1917 of 1963 in the Punjab
High Court for quashing the assessment.
The writ petition was
allowed by the High Court which quashed the assessment and
. directed the assessing authority to re-detennine the tax in the light
of its judgment. Jn allowing the writ petition of the respondent
the High Court followed its previous decision in Patel Cotton Company Private Ltd. v. State of Punjab & Ors.( 1 ). The appellants
preferred a Letters Patent Appeal which was dismissed. The present appeal is brought by certificate from the judgment of the
Punjab High Court dated 31st March. 1965.
It is necessary at this stage to set out the relevant provisions
of the Punjab Sales Tax Act. 1948 (Act No. 46 of 1948) (hereinafter called the Act). Section 2(ff) omitting immaterial portions
defines 'purchase' thus :-
0) 15 S.T.C. 865.
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PUNJAB v. CHANDU LAL (Ramaswami, !.)
SS!
" 'Purchase' with all its grammatical or cognate expressions means the acquisition of_ goods specified in
Schedule C .......... "
Schedule C Entry ( 1) and Entry ( 3) read thus :
" ( 1 ) Cotton, that is to say, all kinds
of cotton
(indigenous or imported) in its unmanufactured state
whether gined or unginned, baled, pressed or otherwise,
but not including cotton waste".
"(3) Oil seeds, that is to say, seeds yieldmg nonvolatile oils used for human consumption or in industry,
or in the manufacture of varnishes, soaps and the like
or in lubrication and volatile oils used chiefly in medicines, perfumes, cosmatics and the like".
Section 5 ( 2 )(a)( vi) of the Act is to the following effect :
"5(2). In this Act the expression "taxable turnover" means that part of dealer's gross turnover during
any period which remains after deducting therefrom
(a) his turnover during that period on
(vi) the purchase of goods which are sold not later
than >Six months after the close of the year, to a Registered Dealer, or in the course of inter-State trade or
commerce, or in the course of export out of the country".
Secti~ 2(c) of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956 (Act No.
74 of 1956) defines 'declared goods' to mean goods declared
under section 14 to be of special importance in inter-State trade
or commerce.
Under section 14 of this Act certain goods were
declared to be of special importance in inter-State trade or commerce and they included cotton, that is to say all kinds of cotton
(indigenous or imported) in its unmanufactured state, whether
~
or unginned, baled, processed or otherwise, but not includmg cotton waste. Section 15 of the-Central Sales Tax Act 1956
has been amended from time to time. Originally section 1'5 read
as follows:-
" 15, Restrictions and conditions in regard to tax on
sales or purchases of declared goods : Notwithstanding
anything contained in the sales tax law of any State,
the tax payable by any dealer under that law in respect
H
o~ ai:tY . sales or purchases of declared goods made by
him ms.1de the State shall not exceed two per cent of the
sale pnce theteof, and such tax shall not be levied at
more than one stage in a State"'.
11 Sup. C.I./69-5
852
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1969j 3 S.C.R..
This section was amended by the Central Sales Tax (Amendment)
Act (No. 16 of 1957) and again by Central Act No. 31 of 1958
and the amended section reads as follows :-
"15. Restrictions and conditions in regard to
tax
on sale or purchase of declared goods within a State :
Every sales tax law of a State shall, in so far as it imposes or authorises the imposition of a tax on the sale
or purchase of declared goods, be subject to the following restrictions and conditions, namely :
(a) the tax payable under that law in respect of any
sale or purchase of such goods inside the State shall not
exceed two per cent of the sale or purchase price thereof, and such tax shall not be levied at more than one
stage;
(b) where a tax has been levied under that law
in respect of the sale or purchase inside the State of any
declared goods and such goods are sold in the course
of inter-State trade or commerce, the tax so levied shall
be refunded to such person in such manner and subject
to such conditions as may be provided in any law in
force in that State".
On behalf of the appellants the argument was stressed that
ginning process was a manufacturing process, and ginned cotton
and cotton seeds were different commercial commodities and the
respondent was not entitled to the exemption under s. 5(2)(a)
(vi) of the Act. It was said that unginned cotton was transformed into two distinct commercial commodities and there was no
substantial identity between unginned cotton and ginned cotton
or cotton seeds. It was argued that the ginning process required
complicated machinery of manufacture. Reference was made in
this connection to the mechanical aspect of the ginning process
described in Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 6 :-
"Hand separation of lint and seed was
replaced
rapidly by use of saw-type gins ~n the United States
after the inventions of Eli Whitney in 1794 and of
Hokden Holmes in 1796. Whitney's gin was improved
upon by Holmes who substituted toothed saws for the
hooked cylinder and flat metal ribs for the slotted bar
used by Whitney.
The saws, metal ribs and doffing
brush in these early models persist in modern gins, with
no basic change in ginning principle having been made,
although some moucrn gins ,uhstituk an air hlast for
the doffing brushes.
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PUNJAB v. CHANDU LAL (Rama.swami i.)
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Additional gin ffiachinery, has been developed . to
keep pace with chainges in harvesting practices which
have resulted in a trend from careful hand picking to
rougher hand and machine harvesting. These developments include seed-cotton driers, seed-cotton cleaners,
burr extractors, greenboll traps and magnetic devices
for removing metal. Line cleaners, designed to remove
trash from lint after it had been removed from the seed,
were added to modem gins in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Improvement in grade, which resulted in a higher price
for the lint, was, W some cases, offset by th~ loss in
weight.
Gin installations include presses for baling
the lint and equipment for moving the seed away from
the gin stands. While some of the seed is saved for
planting purposes, most of it moves directly to an oil
mill for processing"(') .
In our opi,n:ion, the appellants are right in their contention that
the ginning process is a manufacturing process. But the question
presented for determination in the present case is somewhat diffe·
rent viz., whether the respondent is entitled to the exemption
~er s. 5(2)(a)(vi) of the Act in the context and setting of the
language of sections 14 and 15 of the Central Sales Tax Act,
1956. "Declared goods" in section 14 of the Central Sales Tax
Act, 1956 are individually specified under separate items. "Cotton
ginned or unginned" is treated as a single commodity under ·o;ie
item of declared goods.
It is evident that cotton ginned or unginned being treated as a single commodity and as a siingle species
of declared goods cannot be subject under s. 15(a) of the Central
Sales Tax Act to a tax exceeding two per cent of the sale or pur·
chase price thereof or at more than one stage. But so far as cotton
seeds are concerned, it is difficult to accept the contention that
the sale of cotton seeds must be treated as a sale of declared goods
for the purpose of s. 15(a) or (b) of the Central Sales Tax Act,
1956. It is true that cotton in its unginned state contains cotton
seeds. But it is by a manufacturing process that the cotton and
the seed are separated alJd it is not correct to say that the seeds so
separated is cotton itself or part of the cotton.
They are two
distinct commercial goods though before the manufacturing pro·
cess the seeds might have been a part of the cotton itself. There
is hence no warrant for the contention that cotton seed is not
different from cotton. It follows that the res!l<¥ldent is not enti·
tied to deduct the sale price of the cotton seeds from the purchase
turnover under s. 5(2)(a)(vi) of the Act. In our opinion, the
assessing authority was right in holding that the respondent was
not. entitled to deduction in respect of cotto.n seeds sold by it to
registered dealers. It is conceded that the assessing authority had
(1) Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vo!. 6, page 614.
SUPREME C:lURT REPORTS
[1969] 3 s.c.R.
already granted deduction under s. 5 (2) (a)(vi) so far as ginned
A
cotton is concerned.
For these reasons we hold that the judgment of the Punjab
High Court dated 31st March, 1965 imJ Letters Patent Appeal No.
100 of 1965 should be set aside and the writ petition No. 1917
of 1963 filed by the respondent should be dismissed. The appeal
is accordingly allowed with costs.
Civil Appeals Nos. 2516-2517 & 2519 of 1966 and Civil Appeals
Nos. 806 and 801 of 1967
The question of Jaw arising in these appeals has been the
subject matter of consideration in Civil Appeal No. 2518 of 1966.
For the reasons given in that judgmetnt we hold that these appeals
also should be allowed and the judgments of the Punjab High
Court should be set aside and the writ petitions filed by the respondents in each case should be dismissed.
These appeals are
accordingly allowed with costs.
There will be one hearing fee
for these appeals and for Civil Appeal No. 2518 of 1966.
Y.P.
Appeals allowed.
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