High Court halts confiscation of Bajaj Company assets, orders payment of Rs 3 crore

Payment to be made within 10 days: Prohibition on confiscation actions until May 26

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In a legal tussle between the Jogeshwari Group Gram Panchayat and Bajaj Auto company over outstanding tax dues, the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court comprising of Justice SG Mehre has directed Bajaj Auto to deposit a principal amount of Rs 3.23 crore within 10 days.

This move comes after the Gram Panchayat issued a notice demanding Rs 4.73 crore in unpaid taxes from the company situated in Waluj industrial area. Additionally, the High Court has ordered a prohibition on confiscation actions until May 26, as per a previous stay order.

The dispute arose when Bajaj Auto paid taxes totaling Rs 3.23 crore for the years 2015 to 2018, the Gram Panchayat alleged non-payment and issued a tax notice. Despite the company appealing to the Divisional Commissioner Sunil Ardad, who ruled in favor of the Gram Panchayat, Bajaj Auto approached the High Court.

Senior lawyers Rajendra Deshmukh representing the company and VD Sakpal representing Jogeshwari Gram Panchayat were present during the proceedings. The company has indicated intentions to appeal to the Supreme Court following the High Court's decision. The Jogeshwari Gram Panchayat had previously taken steps to confiscate materials from the company due to the tax dispute, with a demand made to the Waluj MIDC police station, as stated by Sarpanch Praveen Dubile.