In Brief
The Supreme Court examined whether importers of logs could claim refund of additional duty of customs when the logs were converted into sawn timber before sale, rather than sold in the original imported form. The Court held that the exemption notification does not mandate goods be sold in their original form; it only requires goods be imported for subsequent sale. Where log size reduction was necessitated by State transport regulations, the conversion into sawn timber without loss of the product's original identity did not deprive the importer of exemption benefits. The Court affirmed the Tribunal and High Court orders and dismissed the Revenue's appeals."
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