Rule 159 - Provisional attachment of property
CGST Rules, 2017
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Finin2min Summary - Rule in 2 Minutes
DRC-22 provisional attachment; DRC-22A objection, hearing and DRC-23 release; one-year statutory cessation remains.
Exact operative text
159. Provisional attachment of property.-(1) Where the Commissioner decides to attach any property,
including bank account in accordance with the provisions of section 83, he shall pass an order in FORM
GST DRC-22 to that effect mentioning therein, the details of property which is attached. (2) The
Commissioner shall send a copy of the order of attachment to the concerned Revenue Authority or Transport
Authority or any such Authority to place encumbrance on the said movable or immovable property, which
shall be removed only on the written instructions from the Commissioner to that effect. (3) Where the
property attached is of perishable or hazardous nature, and if the taxable person pays an amount equivalent
to the market price of such property or the amount that is or may become payable by the taxable person,
whichever is lower, then such property shall be released forthwith, by an order in FORM GST DRC-23, on
proof of payment. (4) Where the taxable person fails to pay the amount referred to in sub-rule (3) in respect
of the said property of perishable or hazardous nature, the Commissioner may dispose of such property and
the amount realized thereby shall be adjusted against the tax, interest, penalty, fee or any other amount
payable by the taxable person. (5) Any person whose property is attached may, within seven days of the
attachment under sub-rule (1), file an objection to the effect that the property attached was or is not liable to
attachment, and the Commissioner may, after affording an opportunity of being heard to the person filing the
objection, release the said property by an order in FORM GST DRC- 23. (6) The Commissioner may, upon
being satisfied that the property was, or is no longer liable for attachment, release such property by issuing
an order in FORM GST DRC- 23.
Paragraph-wise decode
DRC-22 provisional attachment; DRC-22A objection, hearing and DRC-23 release; one-year statutory cessation remains.
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 159 regulate?
- It regulates provisional attachment of property. 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.