'We Have no Intentions of...': CM Sukhu After Adani Wilmar 'Inspected' in Himachal

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's statement came after Himachal Pradesh Excise and Taxation Department checked the stock at the Adani Wilmar warehouse in Solan district.

New Delhi: The Himachal Pradesh Excise and Taxation Department on Wednesday (February 8, 2023) inspected an Adani Group company, scrutinising records and checking the stock at the Adani Wilmar warehouse in the Solan district. The department was reportedly investigating possible Goods and Services Tax (GST) violations by the company, a 50:50 joint venture between the Adani conglomerate and Singapore-based Wilmar.

The inspection came when the Adani group finds itself in the middle of a political row at the Centre, triggered by a scathing report by US-based Hindenburg Research.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that it was a "routine" procedure.

"We have no intentions of any raid. It is a routine procedure and it keeps happening," the Congress leader said.

Earlier, there were reports that it was a raid.

It is notable that Adani Wilmar sells cooking oil and other food products like rice, wheat flour, sugar, besan and soya chunks under the Fortune brand. In Himachal Pradesh, it is a major source of these products for the Civil Supplies and police departments.

According to the news agency PTI, which cited a state excise department official, the company's entire GST input was adjusted through tax credit but no payment was made in cash. However, in its statement, Adani Wilmar cited the Goods and Services Tax rules and claimed "the company is not required to pay the tax liability in cash".

An excise official said that Adani Wilmar recorded a turnover of about Rs 350 crore during the last three years. It disclosed a GST liability of about Rs 20 crore and claimed refunds amounting to a little under Rs 2 crore for that period, PTI reported citing an official.

During the inspection no variation was found between the physical stock and the stock according to the records maintained by the company, the official said.