[51. Grant of refunds.- (1) Where a registered dealer has in any return, fresh return or revised return shown any amount to be refundable and has not undertaken to adjust such amount against the amount due as per any [* * *] return in accordance with section 50, the Commissioner shall, on an application made by the dealer and subject to rules, and the other provisions of this Act, grant refund of such amount to the said dealer :
[Provided that, the Commissioner may, subject to such conditions and restrictions as may be prescribed, reduce the refund and grant only part of the refund claimed in such application.].
(2)[(a) The registered dealer may, after the end of the year to which the return, fresh return or revised return relates, make an application in the prescribed form for grant of refund of the amount claimed refundable as aforesaid. The Commissioner may, [on receipt of the application] call for such additional information from the dealer, as he may think necessary. The refunds relating to all the periods contained in one year may be granted by a single order].
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(3) (a) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2), if a dealer is,-
(i) an exporter within the meaning of sub-section (1) or sub-section (3) of section 5 of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956 (74 of 1956) ; or
(ii) a unit specified in the Explanation to sub-section (3) of section 8 ; or
(iii) a holder of a Certificate of Entitlement under any Package Scheme of Incentives except the New Package Scheme of Incentives for [Tourism Projects, 1999 ; or, [a holder of an Identification Certificate issued to a Mega Unit covered under the [Package Scheme of Incentives-2001, Package Scheme of Incentives-2007 or, as the case may be, Package Scheme of Incentives-2013 ; or ]] [(iv) * * * * *]
(v) the Canteen Stores Department or the Indian Naval Canteen [services ; or] [(vi) selling the goods in the course of inter-State trade or commerce and turnover of the said inter-State sales in immediate previous year exceeds fifty per cent. of his total turnover of sales for that year], then he may apply in the prescribed form to the Commissioner after filing the return for grant of refund relating to the period covered by a return, fresh return or revised return.
[Explanation.- For the purposes of sub-clause (i), the expression "exporter" shall mean a registered dealer whose turnover of exports during such period as may be prescribed, is not less than such percentage of the total turnover of his sales as may be prescribed in this behalf.]
[(b) The Commissioner, on receipt of the said application, may require the dealer to furnish such bank guarantee for such amounts from such banks, for such periods and to such authorities as may be prescribed.]
[(4) Save as otherwise provided in this section, the Commissioner shall grant the refund under this section within eighteen months from the end of the month containing the date of the receipt of the application for refund :
Provided that, where a dealer has filed an application for refund under this section on or before the 31 March 2011, then, notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (4) as it existed prior to the date of commencement of the Maharashtra Tax Laws (Levy, Amendment and Validation) Act, 2011 (Mah. XV of 2011) the Commissioner shall,-
(a) in respect of the periods ending on or before the 31 March 2010, grant the refund to such dealer on or before the 30th September 2011, and
(b) in respect of the period beginning with the 1 April 2010 and ending on the 31 March 2011, grant the refund to such dealer on or before the 30 June 2012.]
(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, if the dealer has furnished a bank guarantee for such amount, from such bank, for such period and to such authority as may be prescribed, the Commissioner shall grant the refund due under sub-section (2) or (3), within one month of the furnishing of the bank guarantee, irrespective of whether the additional information has been furnished or not.]
(6) (a) If before the grant of refund under this section, a notice for assessment covering the period to which the return relates is issued or if any proceedings under sub-section (3) or sub-section (4) of section 64 are initiated in respect of the period to which the return relates, then,-
(i) if the dealer has not furnished a bank guarantee then no refund under this section shall be granted ; and
(ii) if the dealer has furnished a bank guarantee then an amount equal to the guaranteed amount shall be refunded.
(b) If it is found as a result of any order passed under this Act that the refund granted under this section is in excess of the refund, if any, determined as per the said order, then the excess amount shall be recovered as if it is an amount of tax due from the dealer and the dealer shall be liable to pay simple interest at the prescribed rate per month or part thereof from the date of the grant of refund.
(7) No refund under this section shall be granted unless an application as provided is made and no application under this section shall be entertained unless it is made within [eighteen months] from the end of the year containing the period to which the return relates.]