JAIN EXPORTS PVT. LTD. AND ANR.versusUNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

                JAIN EXPORTS PVT. LTD. AND ANR.                                  A
                                      v.
                      UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

                               JULY 14, 1993

           [M.N. VENKATACHALIAH, CJ. A.M. AHMADI                                 B
                     AND J.S. VERMA, JJ.]

      Customs Act, 1962: Sections 11 l(d) and 125.

      Import-Violation of Import Policy-Confiscation-Redemption                  C
fine-Factors relevant for determining quantum of-Relevance of bona
fide-Bona fide alone not sufficient for waiver of fine-Totality of circumstan-
ces should be borne in mind.

       Imports an_d Exports (Control) Act, 1947: Section 3(1). Canalised
item-Import under Open General Licence-Validity of-Plea of bona                  D
fid..,_Re/evant material relating to bona fide not placed on record-Import
held illegal and not bona fide.

      Import and Export Policy 1980-81. Appendix 9 Entry 5-'Coconut
Oil'--Cornpetent authority to interpret-'-Who is-Held : Chief Cotroller of
Imports and Exports is competent and not State Trading Corporation.        E
      Constitution of India, 1950: Articles 32 and 136.

      Custom Authorities-Redemption fine imposed by-Power of Supreme
Court to inteifere with.
                                                                                 F
      Practice and Procedure

        Appeal-Demand for re- hearing-Relevant document not submitted
during hearing of appeal but after conclusion of hearing-Demand held not
justified.
                                                                                 G
      The appellants imported two consignments of Refined Indnstrial
Coconut Oil. The imports in question, though under the 1980-81 Import
Policy, took place in 1982 under the Letter of Credit dated 31st July, 1982
and the consignments were sold on high-seas bas~.s. Since Coconut oil was
mentioned under Entry 5 of Appendix-9 of 1980-81 Policy as a canalised           H
                                     185
    186                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A item which could be imported through State Trading Corporation only,
    the Collector of Customs, Ahmedabad issued show-cause notice to the
    appellants stating that the import was illegal. The appellants contested the
    notice stating that the import was legal and valid and in any case it was
    bona fide as they had in good faith assumed that the non-edible variety of
B   coconut oil was not a canalised item and as such could be imported under
    the Open General Licence. However, the Collector rejected the appellants'
    case and ordered confiscation but gave option to them to redeem the goods
    on payment of fine of rupees two crores and three crores respectively. The
                                                                                    (
    appellants filed writ petitions in the Delhi High Court challenging the
    Collector's orders which were dismissed with liberty to the appellants to
C   file appelas, confined to the question of redemption fine, before the Central
    Excise and Gold Control Tribunal.

           Against the judgment of the High Court, in so far as it related to the
 ·· validity of the import, the appellants filed apeals in this Court which were
    dismissed holding inter alia that the terms of the import policy of 1980-81
D were applicable to the case and that all varieties of coconut oil, edible as
    well as non-edible were canalised items under the 1980-81 policy.

           Against the imposition of redemption fine, the appellants preferred
    appeals before the Tribunal which were dismissed without favouring any
E   reduction in the fine. The Tribunal's order was challenged in this Court
    which remitted the matter to the Tribunal to reconsider the case and
    determine the bona fide of the appellant's action. However, after re-hearing
    the Tribunal dismissed the appeals holding that the appellants' action was
    not bona fide. Against the decision of the Tribunal, appeals were filed in
    this Court which were allowed and the redemption fine was reduced to 35%
F   holdng that some of the circumstances relied on by the appellants in
    support of the bona fide plea were relevant. Thereafter the respondents
    filed review petitions which were allowed and the appeals and writ petition
    were directed to be reheard.

G         The appellants-petitioners contended that the redemption fine
    should be wholly waived or substantially reduced as their action in import-
    ing the goods under Open Geneal Licence was bona fide. The circumstan-
    ces relied upon in support of the bona fide were : (1) the import was made _
    against the additional licences issue during the policy period 1980-81 and
    hence the fact that the Letter of Credit was opened on 31st July, 1982 and
H   the import was made in September 1982 was of no consequence; (ii) they
                        JAIN EXPORTS v. U.0.1.                           187

were informed by the Chief Marketing Manager of State Trading Corpora-          A
tion by his letter dated 30th October, 1980 that the non-edible variety of
coconut oil was not a canalised item; (iii) in the case of Jain Shudh
Vanaspati Ltd., the Board as well as the Government of India had while
interpreting the relevant entry in the import policy of 1980-81 taken the
view that non-edible variety of coconut oil was not a canalised item; (iv)
the imports made subsequent to the imports in question under the 1980-81        B
policy by Jayant Oil Mills and Alpana Impex Ltd. were cleared; and (v) a
letter dated July 12, 1985 of the DGDT to General Foods Ltd., Bombay
stated that the non-edible variety could be imported under the Open
General Licence if it related to the 1980-81 policy.

      Dismissing the appeals and writ petition, this Court                      c
      HELD : 1. The fixatio.n of the quantum of the redemption fine is in
exercise of the discretionary jurisdiction of the authoriti.!'S under the
Customs Act and ordinarily this Court, while exercisingjurisdictlon either
under Article 32 or under Article 136 of the Constitution, would be slow        D
to interfere with such an order unless it is shown to be thoroughly
arbitrary or whimsical resulting in gross miscarriage of justice. [195-G]

       2. The quantum of the redemption fine would depend on the facts
 and circumstances of each case and no hard and fast rule can be laid down
 in that behalf. The mere fact that the action of the importers was bona fide   E
 will not per se entitle them to a waiver of the entire redemption fine but
,the Court would have to bear in mind the totality of the circumstances and
 the benefit, if any, derived by the importers from the illegal import.
                                                        [194-D; 195-H; 196-A]
      D. Navinchandra & Co. & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors., [1987] 3 SCC
66; B. Vijay Kumar v. Union of India, AIR (1987) SC 1794; distinguished.
                                                                                F

     2.1. The importors have not, despite the opportunity given to place
on record such material as is relevant to the question of bona fides,
disclosed information and details regarding the transaction for appreciat·
ing why the sale was effected on high seas and the profit, if any, derived      G
the refrom. Failure to produce such vital and material evidence impinges
on the Claim that the importers had acted in good faith. [196-D; 197-A)

      3. It is indeed true that in the case of Jain Shudh Vanaspati Ltd., the
Board as well as the Government of India had while interpreting the
relevant entry in the import policy of 1980-81, taken the view that the         ff.
    188                  SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] SUPP.1 S.C.R.

A non-edible variety of coconut oil was not canalised. Even the Chief Market-
    ing Manager of the State Trading Corporation had conveyed that the
    non-edible variety was not canalised through them. But an authoritative
    clarification could have been obtained from the Chief Controller of Im-
    ports & Exports who was competent to clarify the position and not the
B   Chief Marketing Manager of the State Trading Corporation. [197-C]

          4. The licences were revalidated by the Collector on certain terms
    and conditions which did not permit import except through the State
    Trading Corporation. The import under Open General Licence was not a
    bona fide act. (199-D]
c        Jain Exports Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi & Anr. v. Union of India, (1987) 29
    E.L.T. 753; Jain Exports (P) Ltd. & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors., (1988] 3
    SCR 953, referred to.

          5. The letter of the DGTD was issued much after the import and
D   hence it could not have influenced the importers in importing the two
    consignments and, therefore, can be of no avail in determining the mental
    approach of the importers prior to actual import. (198-C]

        6. It is a miconception to assume that any document can be produced
  at any time and at any stage of the proceedings and the Court can be
E expected to reassemble to give a fresh bearing or a second innings to fill
  the gaps left by the importers because of their default merely because they
  have the means to afford it. Such a demand cannot be countenanced and
  must be deprecated strongly since it would encourage multiplicity of
  hearings and create a wrong precedent. (198-H, 199-A]
F
          CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal Nos.4917-18
    of 1991.

        From the Judgment and Order dated 12.6.1990 of the Customs
  Excise and Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal, Bombay in CD (BOM) 863
G & 864 of 1985, Order Nos. 815 & 816 of 1990.

                                       With

          Writ Petition no. 568 of 1989.
               1
H         (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.)
                     JAIN EXPORTS v. U.0.1. [AHMADI, J.]                  189

         G.L. Rawal and D.K. Garg (NP) for the Appellants.                        A

         A. Subba Rao and P. Panneswaran for the Respondents.

         The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
                                                                                  B
          AHMADI, J. Two separate 7onsignments of Refined Industrial
    Coconut Oil were imported by the appellants/petitioners M/s. Jain Expmts
    Private Ltd., hereinafter called 'the importers', on the 10th and 22nd of
    September 1982 at Kandla Port from Colombo weighing about 3002.552
    M.Tons and 5342.369 M.Tons of the CIF value of Rs. 1,63,67,050 and Rs.
    2,91,21,450, respectively. Different Bills of Entry for clearance of the said C
    consignments for home consumption were filed with the concerned
    anthorities. The importers claimed the benefit of preferential rate of duty
    in terms of Customs Notification No.431 dated 1st Novemeber, 1976 as
    amended from time to time. Permission to discharge the cargo from the
    vessels to the shore tanks was allowed in terms of SectiOI\ 49 of the Customs D
    Act, 1962 after obtaining representative samples. After the cargo was thus
    discharged the shore tanks were sealed. Now under the import policy of
    1980-81 whereunder the two consignments were imported, 'coconut oil' was
    mentioned under Entry 5 of Appendix 9 thereof as a canalised item which
    could be imported through the State Trading Corporation (STC) only.
    Admittedly, these imports were not made through STC. Even though the          E
    imports are stated to have been made under the import policy of 1980-81,
    the Letter of Credit was opened on 31st July, 1982. The importers being
    merely holders of Letters of Authority were expected to import the goods
    and deliver them to the licence holders who in turn would dispose of the
    goods to actual users. Indisputably the goods were sold on high-seas basis.   F
    The importers contended that only the edible variety of coconut oil was a
    canalised item, a contention which was disputed by the department. Giving
    detailed reasons the Customs Collectorate, Ahmedabad, issued notices
    dated 24th and 26th November, 1982 requiring the importers to show cause


-   why the said two consignents should not be confiscated under section
    111(d) of the Customs Act since the import was illegal, in that, it was in
    contravention of section 3(1) of the Imports & Exports (Control) Act, 1947
                                                                                  G

    re•d with section 11 of the Customs Act. The notices also threatened
    imposition of penalty under section 112 of the said Act besides recovery
    of leviable duty. The importers were given 15 days to show cause, sup-
    ported by documentary evidence on which reliance may be placed, and to        H
    190                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A indicate if a personal hearing was desired. The importers sent detailed
   replied dated 30th November, 1982 and 2nd December, 1982 to the said
   showcause notices wherein it was averred that the import was legal and
   valid and in any case bona fide and the various grounds on which the show
   cause notices were based were totally misconceived and ill-founded. The
B importers, therefore, prayed that the threatened action may be dropped.
   Two separate adjudication orders, bearing Nos.6 and 7 of 1982, were made
  by the Collector of Customs & Central Excise, Ahmendabad, whereby he
   ordered confiscation of both the consignments under section 111(d) of the
   Customs Act with an option to redeem the goods on payment of a fine of
   Rs.2,00,00,000 (Rupees two crores only) and Rs.3,00,00,000 (Rupees three
C crores only), respectively. No. penalty was levied under section 112 of the
  said Act even though the Collector found that the 'import policy and its
  provisions were deliberately flouted' as in his view the redemption fine
  imposed in lieu of confiscation of the impugned goods was sufficient to
  meet the ends of justice. Lastly, it was said that if the importers exercise
D their option to redeem the goods they may clear the goods on payment of
  duty at preferential rates applicable to goods of Sri Lanka origin. Both
  these orders passed on 17th and 18th December, 1982, respectively, were
  issued on 20th December, 1982. Bo.th these orders were challenged by way
  of Writ Petitions Nos. 4037 and 4038 of 1982 under Articles 2261221' of the
  Constitution of India in the High Court of Delhi which petition~ were
E referred to the Full Bench of the High Court and were disposed of by a
  common judgment dated 20th December, 1984. The High Court by
  majority dismissed the writ petitions but permitted the importers to ap-
  proach the Central Excise and Gold Control Tribunal, hereinafter called
  'the Tribunal', by way of appeals insofar as the order in regard to the
F redemption fine was concerned. The judgment of the High Court is
  reported in (1987) 29 E.L.T. 753.

           Against the judgment of the High Court insofar as it related to the
    validity of the import, the importers approached this Court by way of
    Special Leave. The two appeals being Civil Appeals Nos.2705 and 5383 of
G   1985 were disposed of by a common judgment on 5th May, 1988, vide Jain
    EijJorts (P) Ltd. & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors., (1988] 3 SCR 953. Before   '
    this Court the following four points were raised:

            "(1) The import policy of which year would be applicable to the
H           facts of the present case - the period during which the licences
                 JAIN EXPORTS v. U.0.1. [AHMADI,J.J                      191

        were issued or the time when import ~ctually took place.                A
        (2) Whether "coconut oil" appearing in para 5 of Appendix 9 of
        the Import Policy of 1980-81 was confined to the edible variety or
        covered the individual variety.

        (3) Whether in the face of the decision of the Board and Central        B
        Government as the statutory appellate and revisional authorities,
        it was open to the Collector functioning in lower ties to take a
        contrary view of the matter in exercise of quasijudicialjurisdiction;
        and

        (4) Whether the order of the Collector was vitiated for breach of
                                                                                c
        rules of natural justice, and collateral considerations in the making
                                        .           '
        of the orders."

It may be noticed that the importers did not challenge that part of the High
Court order whereby. the importers were permitted to approach the D ·
Tribunal in regard to the redemption fine. This Court noted that. part of
the High Court's order had become final. In fact in response to that order
the importers had preferred two appeals to the Tribunal, being appeals
Nos. 863 and 864 of 1985. On the four questions raised before this Court,
this Court held (i) the terms of the import policy of 1980-81 applied to
the facts of the case; (ii) under the said import policy of 1980-81, all E
varieties of coconut oil, edible as well as non-edible, were included in
Paragraph 5 of Appendix 9 and hence there was no warrant for the
assumption that it covered the edtble variety only; (iii) on a true interpreta-
tion of Entry 5 of Appendix 9 of the import policy in qnestion, if it is found
that the entry 'Coconut Oil' covered both the edible and non-edible variety, F
the letter of the State Trading Corporation was of no avail and the fact
that the Collector of Customs was bound by the decision of the Board and
Central Govermnent could not alter the situation since the matter had
crossed that stage and this Court was free to place its own interpretation
on the concered entry; and (iv) the Collector's order does not suffer from G
vice of breach of principles of natural justice. In this view of the matter the
appeals were dismissed.

       The two appeals arising in consequence of the majority judgment of
the Delhi High Court on the question of the qual\tum of the redemption
fine. came up for hearing before a two member bench of the Tribunal at          H
    192                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A B.ombay. The Technical Member by his judgment and order dated 4th -
  April, .1986 look the view that the appeals deserved to pe dismissed both
  on merits and as barred by limitation. The Judicial Member by his judg-
  ment and order dated 4th June, 1986 took the view that the appeal should
  be partly allowed by reducing the redemption fine to 35% of the landing
B cost of the two consignments. In view of this difference of opinion between
  the two members, the matter was placed before the President of the
  Tribunal in terms of section 129C(5) of tlie Customs Act. Thereupon, on
  the directions of the President, the appeals were placed for dispos_al before
  a three-member Bench at New Delhi. The Bench by its order dated 5th
  December, 1986 took the view that since the Delhi High Court had
C remitted the matters to the Tribunal for consideration of the question of
  quantum of redemption fines levied by the Collector of Customs, it was not
  open to the Tribunal to dismiss the appeals as barred by limitation.
  However, on the merits of the matters the Tribunal ocurred with the view
  of the Member (Technical) that both the appeals should be dismissed. In
D other words the three-member Bench of the Tribunal did not, in the facts
  and circumstances of the cases, favour any reduction in the redemption
  fine in either case. In view of the opinion so expressed by !Be l'!fger Bench,
  the appeals were ultimately dismissed by the Tribunal.

          The importers feeling aggrieved by this decision rendered by the
E Tribunal preferred a Writ Petition No.568 of 1989 in this Court under
    Article 32 of the Constitution of India which came to be finally disposed
    of on January 23, 1990. Taking note of the observations of the Tribunal that
    it was faced with a Hobson's choice because no material was placed before
    it by the department or by the importers on the question of quantum of
F   the redemption fine, this Court felt that the conclusion of the Tribunal that
    the onus lay on the importers to show that the redemption fine which was
    within the range of section 125 of the Customs Act was excessive was
    misconceived. This Court pointed out that the contention of the importers
    that their action was bona fide had not received due consideration by the
    Tribunal even though it was supported by documentary evidence as well as
G   the observations of this Court in the earlier round of litigations. Since the
    question of the import being bona fide or otherwise was relevant as held
    by this Court in M/s. D. Navinchandra & Co. & Ors. v. Union of India &
    Ors., [1987] 3 SCC 66 and B. Vijay Kumar v. Union of India, AIR (1987)
    SC 1794, the Tribunal should have considered all the facts and circumstan-
H   ces of the case to determine if the importers were right in contending that
                 JAIN EXPORTS v. U.O.l. [AHMADl,J.]                      193

their action was bona fide, a fact which had a direct bearing on the question   A
of the quantum of the redemption fine. So holding this Court set aside the
Tribunal's order dated 5th December, 1986 and remitted the appeals to
the Tribunal for reconsideration in the light of the observations of the
Court in the judgment. The parties were given liberty to place additional
material relevant to_ the question of quantum of the redemption fine on
record if they so desired and the Tribunal was directed to dispose of the
                                                                                B
appeals within the three months which time was extended upto 3ht August,
1990.

       Pursuant lo the above directions both the appeals were reheard by
the Tribunal on the limited question regarding the quantum of the redemp- C
lion fine. The Tribunal, after taking note of the observations in the judg-
ment of this Court in the aforesaid writ petition and after examining the
material placed before it, came to the conclusion that the importers' action
could not be said to be bona fide as contended by them and dismissed both
the appeals by its order dated 12th June, 1990. Against the said decision D
of the Tribunal the importers approached this Court under Article 136 of
the Constitution. On this Court granting leave to appeal, the Speciai Leave
Petitions Nos. 9955 & 9956 of 1990 came to be numbered as Civil Appeals
Nos. 4917 & 4918 of 1991. Both the appeals were allowed by the Court's
order dated 29th November, 1991. This Court took note of the fact that
the question whether industrial coconut oil was a canalised item was finally E
set at rest by the decision of the Delhi High Court against which this Court
had refused to interfere in appeal under Article 136 of the Constitution
and hence the only question which survived related to the bona fides of the
appellants in importing the said commodity as it would influence the
Courts decision on the quantum of the redemption fine. On the question F
of fixation of the quantum of the redemption fine, five circumstnaces were
relied upon in support of the plea of bona fides. These had not weighed
with the Tribunal. This Court, however, felt that the first four circumstan-
ces were relevant and having regard to the view taken in the case of Mis.
Jayant Oil Mills Pvt. Ltd., it would appear that the Customs Collectorate
was guilty of hostile discrimination. So hold the redemption fine was G
reduced to 35% of Rupees Five crores. Excess payment was ordered to be
refunded \vithin six months failing which interest at 15% per annum was
ordered. No order was passed as to costs. The respondents preferred
review petitions - R.P. Nos.75-76 and 635 of 1992 which were allowed on
21 st October, 1992 and these appeals and Writ Petition were directed to H
     194                  SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A be reheard. Hence this Court's earlier order dated 29th November, 1991
     in these appeals and order dated 23rd January, 1990 in Writ Petition
     ceased to be operative.

         Since the question regarding the legality and the validity of the
B imports has been finally concluded by this Court in the appeal arising from
  the decision of the Delhi High Court, the only point which remains for our
  consideration is whether the importers had acted bona fide, in that, they
  had in good faith assumed that the non-edible variety of coconut oil was
  not a canalised item and could, therefore, be imported under Open
  General Licence (OGL). As stated earlier the importers' contention that
C Refined Industrial Coconut Oil was not a canalised item under item 5 of
  Appendix 9 of the relevant import policy has already been negatived by
  this Court. Therefore, there can be no dispute that the import of the two
  consigmnents in question was illegal and liable to confiscation under
  section 111(d) of the Customs Ace-Ordinarily, therefore, the collector of
D Customs was entitled to impo~e a redemption fine in lieu of confiscation,
  apart from penalty under section 112 of the Custom Act. The quantum of
  the redemption fine would depend on the facts and circumstances of each
  case and no hard and fast rule can be laid down in that behalf. So also the
  mere fact that the importers had acted in good faith and bona fide will not
  entitle them to claim that the entire redemption fine must be waived. Even
E in such cases the fixation of the quantum of the redemption fee will depend
  on the totality of the facts and circucmstances of the case. Therefore, even
  if in a given case the importers show that their action was bona fide, that
  by itself will not entitle them to a waiver of the full redemption fine unless
  the totality of the facts of the case so warrant. We mu.st, therefore, at the
F outset clarify that we do not read the decision in D. Navinchandra & Co.
  and B. Vijay Kuma1; (supra) as laying down any such absolute rule.

          We now come to the question whether on the facts and in the
  , circumstances of this case there is warrant for waiving the redemption fine,
   wholly or partly. The learned counsel for the importers placed reliance on
·a  the following facts to make good his submission that the importers had
    acted bona fide in believing that the non-edible variety of coconut oil was
   not a canalised item and could, therefore, be imported under the OGL.
   The import was made against the additional licences issued during the
   policy period 1980-81 and hence the fact that the Letters of Credit were
H opened on 31st July, 1982 and the imports were actually made in Septem-
                 JAIN EXPORTS v. U.0.1. [AHMADI,J.]                     195

ber 1982 was of no consequence. The further fact that the edible variety of    A
coconut oil was a canalised item under the 1982-83 policy period should
not weigh in judging the bona [ides of the importers. The importers belived
in good faith that the no,;-edible variety was not canalised as they were so
informed by the Chief Marketing Manager of STC by his letter dated 30th
October, 1980.
                                                                               B
       Besides, counsel urged, when M/s. Jain Shudh Vanaspati Ltd., a
sister concern, imported industrial coconut oil under the 1980-81 policy,
the Collector of Customs by his order dated 17th December, 1980 held the
import illegal and imposed a redemption fine of Rs.25 lakhs. This view was
reversed by the Board by its order dated 23rd January, 1981 which view         C
was confirmed by the Government of India by its order dated 31st March,
1981. Subsequently, in May-June 1981 clearances were permitted both by
the Bombay and Kandla offices of the customs department and hence the
importers had every reason to believe that the non-edible variety could be
imported under the OGL. The Collector of Customs, Ahmedabad, was               D
bound by this view but he chose to ignore the same which was not proper.
Reliance was also placed on certain imports made .subsequent to the
imports in question under the 1980-81 policy which were cleared vide Bills
of Entry of January, 1983 of Mis. J ayant Oil Mills and Allana Impex Pvt.
Ltd. Lastly, attention was invited to a letter dated July 12, 1985 of the
DGTD to M/s. General Foods Pvt. Ltd., Bombay, stating that the non-            E
edible variety could be imported under the OGL if it related to the 1980-81
policy. Counsel concluded by saying that the importers had paid the
redemption fine of Rs.3 crores and Rs.2 crores on 24th January, 1983 and
23rd February 1983 to show their bonafides. We now proceed to deal with
these submission.
                                                                               F
       Before we address ourselves to the question whether the facts and
circumstances of this case warrant a total or partial waiver of the redemp-
tion fine it is necessary to bear in mind the fact that the fixaiton of the
quanum of the redemption is in exercise of the discretionary jurisdiction
of the authorities under the Customs Act and ordinarily this Court, while G
exercising jurisdiction either under Article 32 oi under Article 136 of the
Constitution, would be slow to interfere with such an order unless it is
shown to be thoroughly arbitrary or whimsical resulting in gross miscar-
riage of justice. As pointed out above, the mere fact that the action of the
importers was bona fide will not per se entitle them to a waiver of the entire H
    196                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] SUPP.1 S.C.R.

A redemption fine but the Court would have to bear in mind the totality of
    the circumstances and the benefit, if any, derived by the importers from
    the illegal import. It is in this background that we must examine the
    question whether the Collector's order imposing the redemption fine and
    the Tribunal's refusal to interfere therewith require interference at our
B   hands in the present proceeding.

        At the outset we deem it proper to mention that the importers are
  an experienced Export House well versed in the policies and procedures
  in regard to the import and export of goods. Their function in the trans-
  actions in question was to import the goods as holders of Letters of
C Authority and pass them over to the licence holders who in turn would
  dispose of the goods to actual users in accordance with the terms and
  conditions of the licence. However, it is well established that the consign-
  ments in question were sold on high-sea-sale basis under the cover of the
  Letters of Authority and separate agreements with the' licence-holders. The
D importers have not, despite the opportunity given to place on record such
  material as is relevant to the question of bona fides, disclosed information
  and details regarding the transaction for appreciating why the sale was
  effected on high seas and the profit, if any, derived therefrom. The Tribunal
  has noted:

E           ''However, the appellants, despite the direction from the Delhi
            High Court to produce relevant details for determining the quan-
            tum of redemption fine have not given any details regarding the
            landed costs and other expenses including the sale price on high
            sea sale basis for arriving at the appropriate quantum of profit."
F
  Even during the course of the hearing before us we repeatedly inquired of
  counsel for the importers to show us from the record whether or not the
  transactions in question had yielded any profit and, if yes, the quantum
  thereof but we did not receive a satisfactory reply. In fact as pointed out
  by the Tribunal the importers had failed to place the said material on
G record for reasons not difficult to guess. Therefore, even after two oppor-
  tunities the first given by the Delhi High Court and the second by this Court
  by the order under review, the importers have deliberately failed to place
  this vital information on record. Counsel for the importers requested us to
  give him time to procure and place the said material on record but we saw
H no reason to grant further indulgence and permit the importers to do so
                 JAIN EXPORTS v. U.0.1. [AHMADI, J.]                    197

belatedly when lhey had failed to do so for no valid reason. Even at this A
belated stage no particulars regarding the material proposed to be
produced were given. Besides such belated production would prejudice the
opposite side. That apart, such evidence can have probative value only if
produced promptly and not otherwise. It is thus obvious that the failure lo
produce such vital and material evidence impinges on the claim that the B
importers had acted in good faith . .This single fact in our view is sufficient
to non-suit the importers.

       It is indeed true that in the case of Jain Shudh Vanaspati Ltd., the
Board as well as the Government of India had while interpreting the
relevant entry in the import policy of 1980-81, taken the view that the        C
non-edible variety of coconut oil was not canalised. Even the Chief Market-
ing Manager of the STci: had by his letter dated 30th October, 1980
conveyed that the non-edible variety was not canalised through them. True
it is that an authoritiative clarification could have been obtained from the
Chief Controller of Imports & Exports who was competent to clarify the         D
position and not the Chief Marketing Manager of the STC. This is also
clear from what this Court observed in the decision in appeals arising from
the decision of the Delhi High Court. This Court said:

        "The STC was not competent lo bind the cnstoms authorities in
        respect of their statutory functioning ... "                           E

But we cannot overlook the fact that the view taken in the case of Jain
Shudh Vanaspati Ltd., was that the non-edible variety was not a canalised
item. If the matter had rested there it would have lent support to the
submission of the importers that they bona fide belived that the non-edible F
variety could be imported under the OGL since it was not a canalised item.
But since the imports in qnestion, though under the 1980-81 policy, took
place in 1982 under the Letter of Credit dated 31st July, 1982, the im-
porters who are experienced in handling import and export of goods and
well versed with the policies and procedures in that behalf must he as-
sumed to be aware of the subsequent developments. The Chief Controller G
of Imports & Exports had issued circulars from time to time clarifying that
the non-edible variety was a canalised item and the Collector of Customs,
Ahmedabad had placed reliance thereon. This was the precise grievance
made by the importers before the Delhi High Court, vide paragraph 48 of
the judgment. The Collector has pointed out that while "evalidating the H
    198                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993) SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A additional licence dated 4th November, 1980 it was specifically stipulated
  that during the period of revalidation items which do not appear in
  Appendix 5 and 7 of the 1982-83 import policy shall not be imported and
  since the commodity in question did not figure in either of the appendix it
  could not be imported under the OGL. The importers who are well versed
B would have realised that in view of this position the statement in the letter
  of the STC cannot carry any weight. In this background if the Tribunal felt
  that the letter of the STC was being used as a cover to put forth the plea
  that the impdrts were made bona fide, it cannot be said that the inference
  raised by the Tribunal was unwarranted. In the circumstances it is difficult
  to believe that the importers were not alive to this changed situation which
C necessitated import of both varieties of coconut oil through the STC. The
  letter of the DGTD was issued in 1985 much after the import in September
  1982 and hence it could not have influenced the importers in importing the
  two consignments and, therefore, can be no avail in determining the mental
  approach of the importers prior to actual import. For the same reason the
D decisions in the case of M/s. Jayant Oil Mills and M/s. Allana Impex cannot
  advance the case of the impor(ers.

           Before we part we must mention that after counsel for the importers
    could not secure an adjournment when the matter was taken up for hearing
    on 23rd April, 1993, he argued the matter at length. It was only during the
E   course of the hearing that we inquired of him if he coulod point out from
    the record whether or not the transaction had yeilded any profit. When he
    could not give a satisfactory reply he again asked for an adjournment to
    produce the relevant material which we declined. The hearing concluded
    on the same day. Notwithstanding the same their advocate on record filed
F   a letter date 28tt./30th April, 1993 stating that an application was moved
    for rehearing because a very crucial document having a direct bearing was
    not brought to the notice of the Court. Even with these applications
    Nos.l.A.3 & 4 of 1993 the so-called crucial document was not appended.
    In these applications the rehearing was sought on the very same grounds
    on which an adjournment was sought earlier. This was followed by yet
G   another· communication which included a certificate of the Chartered
    Accountant to which was apended a statement of accounts showing that
    the importers had incurred a substantial loss in the sale of high-seas-basis.
    We are indeed surprised at the attitude of the learned Advocate repre-
    senting the importers. It betrays a misconception that any document can
H   be produced at any time and stage of the proceeding and the Court can
                 JAIN EXPORTS v. U.0.1. [AHMADI, J.]                    199

be expected to reassemble to give a fresh hearing or a second innings to A
fill the gaps left by the importers because of their default merely because
they have the means to afford it. We cannot countenance such a demand
and must deprecate it strongly. We do so and reject both the applications.
To allow them would encourage multiplicity of hearings and create a wrong
precedent.
                                                                               B
       For the foregoing reasons we are satisfied that the importers' con-
tentions that the redemption fine should be wholly waived or substantially
reduced as their action in importing the goods under OGL was bona fide
is not well founded. Even if the transaction has in fact resulted in a loss
(we cannot delve into it for the first time in this Court) it will not make    C
any difference. We feel that taking cover under the earlier orders passed
in the case of M/s. Jain Shudha Vanaspati Ltd., and the letter of the STC,
the importers have tried to create the impression that they were innocent
Victims of the subsequent interpretation put on the relevant entry, ignoring
the fact that the licences were revalidated on certain terms and conditions
which did not permit import except through the STC. We are, therefore,         D
satisfied that the import under OGL was not a bona fide act. We, therefore,
dismiss both the appeals as well as the writ petition with costs. Hearing
cost quantified at Rs.10,000.

T.N.A.                                     Appeals and Petition Dismissed.