Big Relief for Appellants: GSTAT Eases English Translation Norms for Hindi Orders During Transition:

Big Relief for Appellants: GSTAT Eases English Translation Norms for Hindi Orders During Transition On April 22, 2026, the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) issued a clarification in response to a complaint submitted by a taxpayer named Shri Asim Zafar on March 16, 2026, regarding the requirement of submitting English translations for impugned orders initially issued in the Hindi language or any other regional languages by the tax authorities under Rule 23(1) of the GSTAT (Procedure) Rules, 2025. The complainant further stated that this requirement is creating an extra burden on the heads of taxpayers/appellants. This can affect whether an appeal is accepted, even though the issue originates from the issuing authority.

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The GSTAT stated that it has deeply analysed the aforementioned complaint submitted in relation to the requirements of Rule 23(1) of the GST Appellate Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 2025, and has clarified in response that this requirement is a standard procedural rule in appellate systems. The responsibility lies with the appellant to ensure all documents are complete and comply with the tribunal's requirements in order to allow smooth and efficient proceedings. The tribunal has further flagged that it does not have the independent authority to amend these rules, as they have been developed by the Ministry. Further stated that the government departments are allowed to issue orders in Hindi or regional languages under the Official Languages Act of 1963 and related rules. However, GSTAT follows a separate system that uses English to maintain uniformity and efficiency in legal processes.

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To reduce difficulties during the transition, the rules are temporarily relaxed for six months. If Tribunal members can understand Hindi, appeals may be accepted without immediate translation. Additionally, a committee has been set up to review suggestions for possible amendments to make the process more inclusive of Hindi and other languages. The clarification reads, "to address the practical difficulties faced by appellants during the transitional phase, the Tribunal has, vide Office Order dated 20.01.2026 and instructions dated 10.03.2026, adopted a lenient approach for an initial period of six months. Where the Members of the Bench are able to read and understand Hindi, appeals filed along with the original Hindi orders/documents are being accepted without insisting on immediate translation." Refer to the official clarification for complete information.