India, Jan. 9 -- The Central Government has told the Delhi High Court that judicial directions to reduce Goods and Services Tax (GST) on air purifiers would be unconstitutional and violate the doctrine of separation of powers. Terming the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) as motivated one, the Government said that any judicial interference in the matter would bypass this constitutionally mandated process.

In an affidavit, the Government argued that under Article 279A of the Constitution, the GST Council is the sole body empowered to make decisions on GST. It stated that the determination of tax rates emerges from a complex process of cooperative federalism, requiring consensus-building between the Union and the states, while balancing com...