The Government of India has announced the appointment of 31 retired and serving Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers as Technical Members (Centre) in the state benches of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT). The appointments, made under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 and the GST Appellate Tribunal (Appointment and Conditions of Service of President and Members) Rules, 2023, will be effective for a term of four years or until the appointees attain the age of 67 years, whichever comes earlier.
As per the office order issued by the Ministry of Finance's Department of Revenue, the appointed members will receive a fixed monthly salary of Rs 2,25,000 and are required to assume charge at the Principal Bench, GSTAT, New Delhi, on or after September 1, 2025. They must join within four weeks of that date and submit a medical fitness certificate from a government-specified authority before taking charge.
The appointees include senior retired officers such as Ajay Dixit, Alok Chopra, Amand Shah, Ashish Varma, Bijoy Bihari Mahapatra, DP Nagendra Kumar, Gurdeep Singh, and several others, along with serving officers like Rajiv Kapoor (Principal Commissioner, Directorate General of Performance Management), Shaik Khader Rahman (Principal Commissioner, Delhi, CBIC), and Sudha Koka (Commissioner, NACIN).
The creation of state benches of GSTAT is expected to enhance the efficiency of indirect tax dispute resolution by providing a dedicated appellate mechanism for Goods and Services Tax matters. The appointments mark a significant step toward operationalising the tribunal across the country, aiming to reduce the pendency of GST-related appeals and ensure faster adjudication.
The move comes amid increasing pressure on the GST dispute resolution system, with the government seeking to strengthen institutional capacity and improve taxpayer confidence in the indirect tax framework.
Official copy of the order has been attached
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