Section 108 of the CGST Act, 2017

From the IndiaAuditLens Law Library

GST›CGST Act, 2017›Chapter XVIII, Appeals and Revision

Parts of this section are overridden by Section 113, Section 117, Section 118 and Section 121; read it with them.

At a glance

Entitlement and conditions

  • 108(2) provisoA point not raised and decided on appeal may be revised by the later of one year from the appeal order and the ordinary three-year limit.
  • 108(3)Revision orders bind the parties subject to sections 113, 117 and 118.

Bars, duties and time limits

  • 108(2)Do not revise an appealed order, an order within the departmental appeal period, an order older than three years, an order already taken for revision, or a revision order.
  • 108(4)–(5)For revision initiated by notice, exclude the specified appellate period involving the same issue in other proceedings. Also exclude a court or Tribunal stay of the revision order.

Procedure, powers and definitions

  • 108(1)On its own initiative, information or a State or Union territory Commissioner’s request, examine a subordinate decision for the stated revenue-prejudicial errors, illegality, impropriety, overlooked material facts or audit observations. Subject to section 121, stay if necessary, hear the person and inquire before enhancing, modifying or annulling.
  • 108(6)The material examined includes all proceeding documents available at examination; decision includes intimation by a lower-ranking officer.
  • 108The law does not settle when an order has already been taken for revision or how revenue prejudice combines with the listed grounds.

Subject to section 121 and its rules, the Revisional Authority can examine a subordinate officer’s decision, stay it and revise it after hearing the affected person. Appeal history, prior revision and time limits restrict this power, with exceptions for undecided appeal points and specified excluded periods. Revision orders remain subject to the Tribunal and court routes in sections 113, 117 and 118.[1]

Text

The text below is the section as served by the CBIC tax information portal on 17 September 2026, with the portal's own amendment footnote markers (shown as small numerals before a bracket) and its footnotes.[1] The Act as published in the Gazette of India is the legal source.

Section 108, verbatim (show)

* Section 108. Powers of Revisional Authority.-

(1) Subject to the provisions of section 121 and any rules made thereunder, the Revisional Authority may, on his own motion, or upon information received by him or on request from the Commissioner of State tax, or the Commissioner of Union territory tax, call for and examine the record of any proceedings, and if he considers that any decision or order passed under this Act or under the State Goods and Services Tax Act or the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Act by any officer subordinate to him is erroneous in so far as it is prejudicial to the interest of revenue and is illegal or improper or has not taken into account certain material facts, whether available at the time of issuance of the said order or not or in consequence of an observation by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, he may, if necessary, stay the operation of such decision or order for such period as he deems fit and after giving the person concerned an opportunity of being heard and after making such further inquiry as may be necessary, pass such order, as he thinks just and proper, including enhancing or modifying or annulling the said decision or order.

(2) The Revisional Authority shall not exercise any power under sub-section (1), if-

(a) the order has been subject to an appeal under section 107 or section 112 or section 117 or section 118; or

(b) the period specified under sub-section (2) of section 107 has not yet expired or more than three years have expired after the passing of the decision or order sought to be revised; or

(c) the order has already been taken for revision under this section at an earlier stage; or

(d) the order has been passed in exercise of the powers under sub-section (1):

Provided that the Revisional Authority may pass an order under sub-section (1) on any point which has not been raised and decided in an appeal referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (2), before the expiry of a period of one year from the date of the order in such appeal or before the expiry of a period of three years referred to in clause (b) of that subsection, whichever is later.

(3) Every order passed in revision under sub-section (1) shall, subject to the provisions of section 113 or section 117 or section 118, be final and binding on the parties.

(4) If the said decision or order involves an issue on which the Appellate Tribunal or the High Court has given its decision in some other proceedings and an appeal to the High Court or the Supreme Court against such decision of the Appellate Tribunal or the High Court is pending, the period spent between the date of the decision of the Appellate Tribunal and the date of the decision of the High Court or the date of the decision of the High Court and the date of the decision of the Supreme Court shall be excluded in computing the period of limitation referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (2) where proceedings for revision have been initiated by way of issue of a notice under this section.

(5) Where the issuance of an order under sub-section (1) is stayed by the order of a court or Appellate Tribunal, the period of such stay shall be excluded in computing the period of limitation referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (2).

(6) For the purposes of this section, the term,-

(i) "record" shall include all records relating to any proceedings under this Act available at the time of examination by the Revisional Authority;

(ii) "decision " shall include intimation given by any officer lower in rank than the Revisional Authority.

*Enforced w.e.f . 1st July, 2017.

Questions to answer on the file

Questions a reviewer answers from the engagement file, grouped by the part of the section they come from. They describe what the section asks; they do not decide it.

Scope the section as a whole

Questions to answer on the file1 question
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The decision or order proposed to be revised 108(1), with 108(6)(ii)

Questions to answer on the file5 questions
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What sets the Revisional Authority in motion 108(1)

Questions to answer on the file2 questions
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Section 121 and the rules made thereunder the opening words of 108(1)

Questions to answer on the file1 question
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The grounds on which the decision or order may be revised 108(1)

Questions to answer on the file5 questions
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Stay of the operation of the decision or order 108(1)

Questions to answer on the file2 questions
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The hearing, the further inquiry and the order passed in revision 108(1), with rule 109B

Questions to answer on the file6 questions
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The bars on exercising the power 108(2)(a) to (d)

Questions to answer on the file6 questions
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The proviso: a point not raised and decided in the appeal the proviso to 108(2)

Questions to answer on the file4 questions
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Finality of the order passed in revision 108(3)

Questions to answer on the file1 question
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Time excluded while a higher appeal is pending 108(4)

Questions to answer on the file3 questions
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Time excluded while the issuance of the order is stayed 108(5)

Questions to answer on the file2 questions
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The terms defined for this section 108(6)

Questions to answer on the file2 questions
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Amendment history

The CBIC text carries 1 footnote. The table gives each in the source's own terms. Effective dates are as the footnotes state them.[1]

Amendments to section 108 as footnoted in the CBIC text
NoteChangeInstrumentEffective from
brought section 108 into forcenone — the source's own enforcement note, not an amendment footnote1 July 2017
Provisions connected to Section 108
ProvisionConnectionWords that tie them
Section 121this provision overridden by Section 121108(1) "Subject to the provisions of section 121 and any rules made thereunder"
Section 2Section 2 clause (99) defined by this provision2(99) "an authority appointed or authorised for revision of decision or orders as referred to in section 108"
Section 107, Section 112, Section 117, Section 118108(2)(a) requires Section 107, Section 112, Section 117, Section 118108(2)(a) "an appeal under section 107 or section 112 or section 117 or section 118"
Section 107108(2)(b) requires Section 107 sub-section (2)108(2)(b) "the period specified under sub-section (2) of section 107 has not yet expired"
Section 113, Section 117, Section 118108(3) overridden by Section 113, Section 117, Section 118108(3) "subject to the provisions of section 113 or section 117 or section 118, be final and binding on the parties"
Rule 109B of the CGST Rules, 2017this provision prescribed by Rule 109B of the CGST Rules, 2017rule 109B(1) "shall serve on him a notice in FORM GST RVN-01 and shall give him a reasonable opportunity of being heard"

Circulars and notifications

Circulars and notifications in the CBIC repository that cite this section, newest first, by number, date and subject. A listing here does not say what an instrument decides; read the instrument.

Circulars (3)

NumberDateSubject
Circular No. 250/07/2025-GST24 June 2025Reviewing authority, Revisional Authority and Appellate Authority in respect of orders passed by Common Adjudicating Authority (CAA) for show cause notices issued by DGGI
Circular No. 237/31/2024-GST15 October 2024Clarifying the issues regarding implementation of provisions of sub-section (5) and sub-section (6) in section 16 of CGST Act,2017.
Circular No. 238/32/2024-GST15 October 2024Clarification of various doubts related to Section 128A of the CGST Act, 2017. amended by a later instrument

Notifications (5)

NumberDateSubject
Notification No. 20/2024-Central Tax8 October 2024Seeks to make amendments (Second Amendment 2024) to the CGST Rules, 2017
Notification No. 22/2024-Central Tax8 October 2024Seeks to notify the special procedure under section 148 of the CGST Act for rectification of demand orders issued for contravention of section 16(4) of the said Act.
Notification No. 39/2021-Central Tax21 December 2021Seeks to notify 01.01.2022 as the date on which provisions of section 108, 109 and 113 to 122 of the Finance Act, 2021 shall come into force.
Notification No. 05/2020-Central Tax13 January 2020Seeks to appoint Revisional Authority under CGST Act, 2017.
Notification No. 74/2018-Central Tax31 December 2018Fourteenth amendment to the CGST Rules, 2017. amended by a later instrument

Unsettled questions

The words of section 108 do not answer these questions. Where one decides a matter on the file, the answer depends on the position taken on it.

  1. When has an order "already been taken for revision under this section at an earlier stage"? The clause does not say whether calling for and examining the record, or issuing a notice, is enough, or whether an order under sub-section (1) must have been passed.
  2. How do the grounds in sub-section (1) combine? The words "erroneous in so far as it is prejudicial to the interest of revenue and is illegal or improper or has not taken into account certain material facts" do not say whether prejudice to revenue must be found in addition to one of the three that follow, or whether the four are alternatives.

See also

References

  1. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. "Section 108. Powers of Revisional Authority". Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, CBIC tax information portal, with amendment footnotes 1 to 1. Retrieved 17 September 2026.

External links