COMMR.OF CENTRAL EXCISE,GOA vs M/S COSME FARMA LABORATORIES LTD.

The Supreme Court ruled that under the Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944, a loan licensee can be considered a manufacturer if they supervise the production of medicaments by job workers. The Court upheld the CESTAT's decision to allow the respondent's appeals, which had reversed the Commissioner's order that treated the loan licensee as a manufacturer liable for excise duty. The judgment clarified the criteria for determining manufacturing status in the context of job work arrangements.