Customs Act Section 124: Show-cause notice
Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Last reviewed 30 August 2026

Show-cause notice
At a Glance
Section 124 - Show-cause notice.
For Section 124, Evidence, jurisdiction, safeguards and later proceedings must be documented.
Key professional control: For Section 124 — Show-cause notice, Evidence, jurisdiction, safeguards and later proceedings must be documented.
Finin2min Decode
Section 124 addresses “Show-cause notice”. Evidence, jurisdiction, safeguards and later proceedings must be documented.
Read Section 124 with the delegated law and instruments that govern general matters, including the version effective on the transaction date.
Decision question: Does the proposed treatment under Section 124 satisfy the provision-specific conditions for “Show-cause notice”, the connected instrument and the available evidence?
Practical Example
A Customs matter invokes section 124 on “Show-cause notice”. The working paper identifies the exact transaction, person, goods, customs station and date, then tests the section with connected Rules, Regulations, notifications, circulars and evidence.
Professional Alert
For Section 124 — Show-cause notice, Evidence, jurisdiction, safeguards and later proceedings must be documented.
This page explains Section 124; it does not reproduce the official provision. Quote only the Customs Act and the exact Rule, Regulation, notification or judgment applicable to “Show-cause notice” for the relevant date.
Decision Steps
- Freeze the relevant date, customs station, goods, person and procedural route.
- Read the current section with definitions, explanations, provisos and cross-references.
- Map delegated legislation, notifications and allied DGFT or partner-agency requirements.
- Test jurisdiction, limitation, conditions, evidence and any burden-of-proof rule.
- Preserve the portal trail but verify the substantive legal entitlement separately.
- Record later amendments, judgments and local procedure before publication or transaction reliance.
Evidence Checklist
- Official Customs Act reference
- Transaction chronology
- Connected delegated law/instrument
- Contemporaneous evidence and decision record
Common Errors
- Reading the section in isolation
- Ignoring effective dates and jurisdiction
- Substituting portal acceptance for legal compliance
Finin2min Q&A
Section 124 concerns “Show-cause notice”. Evidence, jurisdiction, safeguards and later proceedings must be documented.
For Section 124 — Show-cause notice, Evidence, jurisdiction, safeguards and later proceedings must be documented.
No. For Section 124 — Show-cause notice, use this guide to organise the analysis, then rely on the official Customs Act and the connected instrument or binding decision in force for the matter.
Official sources and scope
This page is an analytical or operational guide. The controlling wording, tariff item, notification conditions, portal version and judicial status must be checked in the official source applicable to the transaction date.
- Official record for this item
- India Code - Customs Act PDF
- India Code - Customs Act register
- CBIC Tax Information - Customs
Source review date: 2026-07-28. Historical matters require the law and instrument version applicable to the relevant date.