The Supreme Court has today agreed to examine the powers of tax authorities to arrest an individual for Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion.

The vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose also issued a notice to the Centre and sought its reply on a batch of pleas challenging the provision of arrest under the Central GST Act.

The bench said that different high courts had taken different views in granting anticipatory bail to individuals accused of GST evasion and therefore, it needs to decide the question of law on the power of arrest.

The bench also asked all the high courts to keep in mind its earlier order while dealing with grant of anticipatory bail in GST evasion cases.

By that order, it had upheld the Telangana High Court verdict which had said that individuals can’t be given protection from arrest in such cases.

The bench later listed the batch of petitions before a three-judge bench to decide the question of law on the power of arrest.