Section 154 - Power to take samples
Chapter XXI - Miscellaneous
ACTIVEOFFICIAL_TEXT_CAPTUREDindex,follow
Source control: The text/status on this page is tied to the official source gateway and the Phase 1 legal-review register. Open official source.
Finin2min Summary - Section in 2 Minutes
Allows authorised sampling of goods but requires a receipt, creating an evidence and chain-of- custody control.
Exact operative text
154. Power to take samples.-The Commissioner or an officer authorised by him may take samples
of goods from the possession of any taxable person, where he considers it necessary, and provide a receipt
for any samples so taken.
Paragraph-wise decode
Allows authorised sampling of goods but requires a receipt, creating an evidence and chain-of- custody control.
Section-Rule-Form-Notification bridge
No direct Rule certified in Phase 1. Check notifications, circulars, forms and corresponding State law.
The mapping is a legal concordance, not a round-robin related-link list. It is limited to instruments certified in this phase.
Practical example
An officer takes a product sample for testing and issues a receipt identifying quantity, seal and date.
Professional alert
Read the provision with its linked Rules, Gazette commencement, delegation, State GST counterpart and binding judicial interpretation before applying it to a live case.
Implementation checklist
- Fix the transaction, taxable period and jurisdiction.
- Read every subsection, proviso, explanation and omission marker.
- Open the mapped Rule, form, notification and circular.
- Test State/UT variation and portal version.
- Preserve evidence, approvals, working papers and acknowledgements.
- Record the conclusion, assumptions, source date and reviewer.
Evidence and retention checklist
- Contract, purchase order, invoice or underlying transaction document.
- Registration, return, ledger, challan and portal acknowledgement.
- Official Act/Rule/notification version used and effective date.
- Internal tax position paper, computation and management approval.
- Correspondence, notices, replies, orders and appeal papers where applicable.
Practical Q&A
- What does section 154 regulate?
- It regulates power to take samples. Read the exact text, conditions, exceptions and transaction date together.
- Which subordinate law should be checked?
- No direct CGST Rule has been certified in this phase. Notifications, circulars, forms and the corresponding SGST/UTGST layer may also apply.
- What evidence should be retained?
- Preserve the contract or transaction record, invoice or form, portal acknowledgement, payment/ledger evidence, correspondence, legal working and the official source version used.
- Can portal behaviour override the statute?
- No. Portal functionality is operational evidence; legal entitlement and liability remain controlled by the Act, Rules, notifications and binding decisions.