Section 117 : Procedure on receipt of application – Advance Ruling

117. Procedure on receipt of application

(1) On receipt of an application, the Authority shall cause a copy thereof to be forwarded to the officers as may be prescribed and, if necessary, call upon him to furnish the relevant records: PROVIDED that where any records have been called for by the Authority in any case, such records shall, as soon as possible, be returned to the said prescribed officers.

(2) The Authority may, after examining the application and the records called for and after hearing the applicant or his authorized representative and the prescribed officer or his authorized representative, by order, either admit or reject the application: PROVIDED that the Authority shall not admit the application where the question raised in the application is, –

(a) already pending in the applicant’s case before any First Appellate Authority, the Appellate Tribunal or any Court;
(b) the same as in a matter already decided by the First Appellate Authority, the Appellate Tribunal or any Court;
(c) the same as in a matter already pending in any proceedings in the applicant’s case under any of the provisions of the Act;
(d) the same as in a matter in the applicant’s case already decided by the adjudicating authority or assessing authority, whichever is applicable: PROVIDED FURTHER that no application shall be rejected under this sub-section unless an opportunity has been given to the applicant of being heard: PROVIDED ALSO that where the application is rejected, reasons for such rejection shall be given in the order.

(3) A copy of every order made under sub-section (2) shall be sent to the applicant and to the prescribed officers.

(4) Where an application is admitted under sub-section (2), the Authority shall, after examining such further material as may be placed before it by the applicant or obtained by the Authority and after providing an opportunity of being heard to the applicant or the authorized representative of the applicant as well as to the authorized representative of the prescribed or the jurisdictional CGST/SGST officer, pronounce its advance ruling on the question specified in the application.
Explanation. – For the purposes of this sub-section, “authorized representative” shall have the meaning assigned to it in section 105.

(5) Where the members of the Authority differ on any question on which the advance ruling is sought, they shall state the point or points on which they differ and make a reference to the Appellate Authority for hearing and decision on such question.

(6) The Authority or, as the case may be, the Appellate Authority shall pronounce its advance ruling in writing within ninety days of the receipt of application or, as the case may be, reference made under sub-section (5).

(7) Where the members of the Appellate Authority differ on any point or points referred to it under sub-section (5), it shall be deemed that no advance ruling can be issued in respect of the question covered by the reference application.

(8) A copy of the advance ruling pronounced by the Authority or, as the case may be, the Appellate Authority duly signed by the Members and certified in the prescribed manner shall be sent to the applicant and the jurisdictional CGST / SGST officer and, as the case may be, to the Authority, as soon as may be, after such pronouncement.

(9) Any ruling pronounced under this section shall have prospective effect only