Cognizance of offences
Section 134, CGST Act
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In one line
Section 134 bars courts from taking cognizance of a s.132 offence except with the Commissioner’s prior sanction, triable by a Magistrate.
What this means in practice
The parts that actually decide cases — the things a practitioner checks first.
No court can take cognisance without the Commissioner’s prior sanction, and the trial is before a Magistrate of the first class or above – a challenge to the sanction is a standard first line of defence.
The exact words of the law
289 characters, uneditedReproduced from the CBIC text. We explain it above — but you should always be able to read it yourself.
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High Court cases on this section
Judgments in our index that cite this provision. Being listed does not make a case good law — it may have been appealed or distinguished since. Read it before relying on it.
What changed, and when
The amendment trail, newest first — because the version that applies to your case depends on the period.
2017-07-01 · Commenced
Provision as originally enacted in the CGST Act, 2017 (Act 12 of 2017) and brought into force w.e.f. 01-07-2017.
Where this comes from
Text reproduced from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, as available on 2026-09-05. The explanation and practice notes above are GSTZone’s own, written for this hub. If you spot anything out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it — this hub is checked daily against CBIC.
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