Central Sales Tax Act, 1956 · Chapter II: Formulation of Principles for Determining When A Sale or Purchase of Goods Takes Place in the Course of Inter-State Trade or Commerce or Outside A State or in the Course of Import or Export
Section 3: When is a sale or purchase of goods said to take place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce
A sale or purchase of goods shall be deemed to take place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce if the sale or purchase—
(a) occasions the movement of goods from one State to another; or
(b) is effected by a transfer of documents of title to the goods during their movement from one State to another.
Explanation 1.—Where goods are delivered to a carrier or other bailee for transmission, the movement of the goods shall, for the purposes of clause (b), be deemed to commence at the time of such delivery and terminate at the time when delivery is taken from such carrier or bailee.
Explanation 2.—Where the movement of goods commences and terminates in the same State it shall not be deemed to be a movement of goods from one State to another by reason merely of the fact that in the course of such movement the goods pass through the territory of any other State.
[Explanation 3.—Where the gas sold or purchased and transported through a common carrier pipeline or any other common transport or distribution system becomes co-mingled and fungible with other gas in the pipeline or system and such gas is introduced into the pipeline or system in one State and is taken out from the pipeline in another State, such sale or purchase of gas shall be deemed to be a movement of goods from one State to another.]
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 3
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Commissioner of Sales Tax, Maharashtra, Bombay v. R.M.D.C.
Issue arose whether tax can be levied u/s.3F of the Uttar Pradesh Trade Tax Act, 1948, on the ink and processing material used by the appellant in undertaking the printing work of lottery tickets.
- Berger Paints India Ltd v. Commissioner of Trade and Taxes Delhi
- M/S Vellanki Frame Works v. The Commercial Tax Officer, Visakhapatnam
- State of Orissa v. M/S. B. Engineers & Builders Ltd. & Ors.
- Commercial Taxes Officer v. M/S. Bombay Machinery Store
- Commissioner, Delhi Value Added Tax v. M/S. Abb Ltd.
- Commissioner, Central Excise & Customs, Kerala v. M/S Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
- M/S. Larsen & Toubro Limited & Anr. v. State of Karnataka & Anr.
- Mahadeo S/O Kerba Maske v. State of Maharashtra and Anr.
- State of Jharkhand & Ors. Etc. v. M/S. Shivam Coke Industries, Dhanbad, Etc.
- M/S Hyderabad Engineering Industries v. State of Andhra Pradesh
- M/S. A & G Projects & Technologies Ltd. v. State of Karnataka
- M/S I.D.L. Chemical Ltd. v. State of Orissa
- State of Orissa and Anr. v. M/S. K.B. Saha and Sons Industries Pvt. Ltd. & Ors. Etc.
- M/S Rapti Commission Agency v. State of U.P. and Ors.
- Ashok Leyland Ltd. v. State of Tamil Nadu and Anr.
- State of A.P. v. National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. and Ors.
- 20Th Century Finance Corporation Ltd. and Anr. v. State of Maharashtra
- Steel Authority of India v. State of Orissa
- The State of Maharashtra v. M/S. Embee Corporation, Bombay
- K. Gopinathan Nair Etc. v. State of Kerala
- Ashok Leyland Limited Etc. v. Union of India and Ors.
- Phooil Chand Gupta v. State of Andhra Pradesh
- Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. Etc. v. Union of India and Ors. Etc.
- State of Orissa v. Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of India Ltd.
- Hindustan Paper Corpn. Ltd. Etc. Etc. v. State of Kerala and Others
- Gannon Dunkerley and Co. A.Nd Ors. Etc. Etc. v. State of Rajasthan and Ors. Etc. Etc.
- Commissioner of Sales Tax, U.P. and Ors. Etc. Etc. v. Bakhtawar Lal Kailash Chand Areti and Ors. Etc. Etc
- State of Tamil Nadu v. Dharangadhara Trading Co. Ltd.
- State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. v. Kasturi Lal Har Lal
- M/S. Sahney Steel Press Works Ltd. & Anr. v. The Commercial Tax Officer & Ors.
- South India Viscose Ltd. v. State of Tamil Nadu
- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. & Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.
- Union of India & Anr. v. K. G. Khosla & Co. (P) Ltd. & Others
- English Electric Company of India Ltd. v. The Deputy Commercial Tax Officer & Ors.
- G. A. Galiakotwala & Co. (P) Ltd., Madras v. The State of Madras
- Manganese Ore (India) Ltd. v. The Regional Assistant Commissioner of Sales Tax, Jabalpur
- Balabhagas Hulaschand v. State of Orissa
- Oil India Ltd. v. The Superintendent of Taxes & Others
- The State of Tamil Nadu v. Madurai South India Corporation (P) Ltd.
- Iyanahalli Bakkappa & Sons. v. State of Mysore
- State of Bihar & Anr. v. Tata Engineerlng & Locomotive Co. Ltd.
- Coffee Board, Bangalore v. Joint Commercial Tax Officer, Madras & Anr.
- State of Mysore v. Guduthur Thimmappa & Son, & Anr.
- Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. v. State of Andhra Pradesh and Others
- State Trading Corporation of India Ltd. v. State of Mysore
- Tata Iron and Steel Co., Limited, Bombay v. S. R. Sarkar and Others.