Initiation and conduct of proceedings
Rule 129 of the CGST Rules
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Amendment history
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The Director General issues a notice to the supplier, gives him at least fifteen days to reply, may inspect and gather evidence, and must complete the investigation in six months, extendable by three.
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The exact words of the law
2,106 characters, uneditedReproduced from the CBIC text. We explain it above — but you should always be able to read it yourself.
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(1) Where the Standing Committee is satisfied that there is a prima-facie evidence to show that the supplier has Not passed on the benefit of reduction in the rate of tax on the supply of goods or services or the benefit of input tax credit to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices, it shall refer the matter to the 1 [Director General of Anti-profiteering] for a detailed investigation.
(2) The 1 [Director General of Anti-profiteering] shall conduct investigation and collect evidence necessary to determine whether the benefit of reduction in the rate of tax on any supply of goods or services or the benefit of input tax credit has been passed on to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices.
(3) The 1 [Director General of Anti-profiteering] shall, before initiation of the investigation, issue a Notice to the interested parties containing, inter alia, information on the following, namely:-
(a) the description of the goods or services in respect of which the proceeding shave been initiated;
(b) summary of the statement of facts on which the allegations are based; and (c)the time limit allowed to the interested parties and other persons who may have information related to the proceedings for furnishing their reply.
(4) The 1 [Director General of Anti-profiteering] may also issue Notices to such other persons as deemed fit for a fair enquiry into the matter.
(5) The 1 [Director General of Anti-profiteering] shall make available the evidence presented to it by one interested party to the other interested parties, participating in the proceedings.
(6) The 1 [Director General of Anti-profiteering] shall complete the investigation within a period of 2 [six]months of the receipt of the reference from the Standing Committee or within such extended period Not exceeding a further period of three months for reasons to be recorded in writing 3 [as may be allowed by the Authority] and, upon completion of the investigation, furnish to the Authority, a report of its findings along with the relevant records.
What changed, and when
The amendment trail, newest first — because the version that applies to your case depends on the period.
2019-06-28 · Substituted
31/2019-CTdated2
Substituted vide Notification No. 31/2019- CT dated 28.06.2019 for "three"
2018-06-12 · Substituted
29/2018-CTdated06
Substituted for the word "Safeguards" vide Notification No. 29/2018-CT dated 06.07.2018 [w.e.f. 12.06.2018]
2018-03-23 · Substituted
14/2018-CTdated23
Substituted vide Notification No. 14/2018-CT dated23.03.2018 for "as allowed by the Standing Committee".
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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