What does rule 139 regulate?

It regulates inspection, search and seizure. 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.

Rule 139 - Inspection, search and seizure

CGST Rules, 2017

ACTIVECONSOLIDATED_BASE_WITH_CURRENT_CONTROLindex,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 - Rule in 2 Minutes

INS-01 authorisation; INS-02 seizure order; INS-03 prohibition where seizure impracticable; signed inventory and custody controls.

Exact operative text

139. Inspection, search and seizure.- (1) Where the proper officer not below the rank of a Joint Commissioner has reasons to believe that a place of business or any other place is to be visited for the purposes of inspection or search or, as the case may be, seizure in accordance Inserted with effect from 11.01.2020 vide Notf no. 75/2019- CT dt.26.12.2019 Inserted vide Notf no.94/2020 - CT dt. 22.12.2020 Inserted vide Notf no. 33/2019-CT dt. 18.07.2019 Inserted vide Notf no. 33/2019-CT dt. 18.07.2019 Inserted vide Notf no.79/2020-CT dt. 15.10.2020 wef 20.03.2020. Inserted vide Notf no. 74/2018-CT dt. 31.12.2018. Made effective from 21.06.2019 vide Notf No. 22/2019-CT dt. 23.04.2019 Inserted vide Notf no. 14/2018- CT dt. 23.03.2018 wef 01.04.2018 with the provisions of section 67, he shall issue an authorisation in FORM GST INS-01 authorising any other officer subordinate to him to conduct the inspection or search or, as the case may be, seizure of goods, documents, books or things liable to confiscation. (2) Where any goods, documents, books or things are liable for seizure under sub-section (2) of section 67, the proper officer or an authorised officer shall make an order of seizure in FORM GST INS-02. (3) The proper officer or an authorised officer may entrust upon the the owner or the custodian of goods, from whose custody such goods or things are seized, the custody of such goods or things for safe upkeep and the said person shall not remove, part with, or otherwise deal with the goods or things except with the previous permission of such officer. (4) Where it is not practicable to seize any such goods, the proper officer or the authorised officer may serve on the owner or the custodian of the goods, an order of prohibition in FORM GST INS-03 that he shall not remove, part with, or otherwise deal with the goods except with the previous permission of such officer. (5) The officer seizing the goods, documents, books or things shall prepare an inventory of such goods or documents or books or things containing, interalia, description, quantity or unit, make, mark or model, where applicable, and get it signed by the person from whom such goods or documents or books or things are seized.

Paragraph-wise decode

INS-01 authorisation; INS-02 seizure order; INS-03 prohibition where seizure impracticable; signed inventory and custody controls.

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

Apply the rule to the relevant form, period, portal event and evidence trail before reaching a compliance conclusion.

Professional alert

Verify the latest official active Rule page, amending Gazette and portal version before filing or advising.

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 rule 139 regulate?: It regulates inspection, search and seizure. 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.

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