Skip to content
GST Law Hub
CGST Act Section 69: Power to arrest | Finin2min

Section 69 - Power to arrest

Chapter XIV - Inspection, Search, Seizure and Arrest
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

Empowers the Commissioner to authorise arrest where reasons to believe specified offences under section 132 have been committed. Authorisation must relate to enumerated offences and statutory thresholds. Arrested persons must be informed of grounds; procedural rights differ for cognizable/non-bailable and other offences. Production before magistrate within constitutional/statutory time applies where required.

Exact operative text

Paragraph-wise decode

Empowers the Commissioner to authorise arrest where reasons to believe specified offences under section 132 have been committed. Authorisation must relate to enumerated offences and statutory thresholds. Arrested persons must be informed of grounds; procedural rights differ for cognizable/non-bailable and other offences. Production before magistrate within constitutional/statutory time applies where required.

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 proposes arrest for alleged fake- invoice conduct; counsel verifies the offence clause, amount threshold, recorded reasons and bail classification.

Professional alert

Arrest is not a routine recovery tool. Personal liberty, necessity, proportionality and documented statutory satisfaction require close review.

Implementation checklist

  1. Fix the transaction, taxable period and jurisdiction.
  2. Read every subsection, proviso, explanation and omission marker.
  3. Open the mapped Rule, form, notification and circular.
  4. Test State/UT variation and portal version.
  5. Preserve evidence, approvals, working papers and acknowledgements.
  6. Record the conclusion, assumptions, source date and reviewer.

Evidence and retention checklist

Practical Q&A

What does section 69 regulate?
It regulates power to arrest. 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.