International Trade Lawyers in Delhi | Anti-Dumping Counsel

DGTR Trade Remedy Practice · Noida, Delhi NCR

International Trade Lawyers in Delhi

Marg Tax Advisors LLP is an international trade law firm in Delhi built around one specific job: representing businesses in anti-dumping, countervailing duty and safeguard duty proceedings before the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), along with the customs and foreign trade policy issues that usually come with them.

DGTR
Anti-dumping, countervailing & safeguard duty representation, initiation to final finding
IIA Chair
Firm leadership chairs the International Trade Law Committee, Indian Industries Association
Lawyers + CAs
Legal argument and the costing and dumping margin data handled by one team
1 Working Day
Target response time on new enquiries, because DGTR deadlines are rarely extended

Quick answer

Marg Tax Advisors LLP is an international trade law firm in Delhi NCR that represents foreign producers, exporters and Indian importers in anti-dumping, countervailing duty and safeguard duty investigations before the DGTR, and in appeals before the CESTAT. The practice is led from a Noida office by a partner who chairs the International Trade Law Committee of the Indian Industries Association, and pairs lawyers with chartered accountants so the dumping margin, injury calculation and costing data are handled alongside the legal argument.

Our international trade lawyers in Delhi work from a Noida, Delhi NCR office, and the practice is led by a partner who chairs the International Trade Law Committee of the Indian Industries Association, North India's largest association of MSME manufacturers.

The team pairs lawyers with chartered accountants, because a trade remedy case is rarely decided on legal argument alone; the dumping margin, injury calculation and costing data behind a DGTR finding usually decide the outcome.

What Falls Under International Trade Law in India?

International trade law, as a Delhi practice, covers a narrower and more technical set of matters than the phrase suggests. In our work, it means:

  • Trade remedy investigations before DGTR: anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty and safeguard duty.
  • Representation at every stage of a DGTR investigation, from initiation to final finding and, where needed, appeal.
  • WTO compliance advisory, including how the Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures shape Indian findings.
  • Free Trade Agreement advisory: rules of origin certification and preferential duty claims under India's FTAs.
  • Customs and Foreign Trade Policy questions that intersect with a trade remedy case, such as an Advance Authorisation holder affected by a new anti-dumping duty on an input.

Anti-Dumping, Countervailing and Safeguard Duty: Where We Fit In

Anti-dumping duty in India is governed by Section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, read with the Anti-Dumping Rules, 1995, and administered by DGTR, which has to establish a dumping margin, material injury to the domestic industry, and a causal link between the two before a duty is imposed. Countervailing duty works on the same three-part test but for a foreign government subsidy rather than a pricing decision, under Section 9 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975. Safeguard duty responds to a sudden import surge regardless of pricing or subsidy, under Section 8B; the governing rules were substantially amended in February 2021 to add tariff rate quotas as an alternative to duty, which most competitor pages covering this topic still miss.

India's three trade remedies at a glance
Trade Remedy Legal Basis in India What It Offsets

Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD)

Pricing-based
Section 9A, Customs Tariff Act, 1975; Anti-Dumping Rules, 1995 Export pricing below normal value (dumping margin)

Countervailing Duty (CVD)

Subsidy-based
Section 9, Customs Tariff Act, 1975; Countervailing Duty Rules, 1995 A subsidy granted by a foreign government

Safeguard Duty

Volume-based
Section 8B, Customs Tariff Act, 1975; Customs Tariff (Identification and Assessment of Safeguard Duty) Rules, 1997, as amended in 2021 A sudden surge in imports causing serious injury, regardless of pricing or subsidy; remedy can be a duty or a tariff rate quota

Our role runs through every stage of an anti-dumping, countervailing or safeguard case:

  1. Questionnaire responseDrafting and filing the response that frames your entire case on record.
  2. Verification visitPreparing the client and the underlying costing data for DGTR verification.
  3. Oral hearingAppearing before DGTR and responding to the domestic industry's submissions.
  4. Disclosure statementFiling comments on the disclosure statement before the final finding is issued.
  5. CESTAT appealContesting a finding worth challenging under Section 9C of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975.

Go deeper on a specific remedy

Why a DGTR Case Benefits from Delhi Based Representation

DGTR, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is headquartered in Delhi. That matters in practice: verification visits need to be scheduled and coordinated, oral hearings are usually held in person, and filing deadlines in a trade remedy case are strict and rarely extended. A Noida, Delhi NCR based team can attend a hearing on short notice, track a notification the same day it is issued, and coordinate a verification visit without the delay of travel.

If a finding needs to be challenged, Section 9C of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 sets out the appeal route: an order relating to anti-dumping duty or countervailing duty can be appealed before the CESTAT (Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal).

Foreign Trade Policy, WTO and FTA Advisory

Trade remedy work rarely stays isolated from the rest of a client's import export position. An Advance Authorisation holder can be affected by a new anti-dumping duty on an input it imports; an FTA rules of origin claim can determine whether a countervailing duty applies at all.

As international trade lawyers in Delhi, we advise on these adjoining Foreign Trade Policy and FTA questions alongside the trade remedy case itself, and our WTO background, including familiarity with the Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, informs how we read an Indian finding against its international backdrop.

Who We Represent

Our international trade law firm in Delhi acts for foreign producers and exporters responding to a petition filed against them, and for Indian importers whose supply chain or input costs are affected by a duty. Representing both sides of the import relationship in different matters means we read a DGTR questionnaire the way both a respondent and an affected importer would.

Foreign producers and exporters

Named in a petition filed by the Indian domestic industry, and required to file a questionnaire response, host a verification visit and appear at the oral hearing.

Indian importers

Whose supply chain or input costs are affected by a duty already in force or proposed, including Advance Authorisation holders importing an input under investigation.

Why Choose Marg Tax Advisors as Your International Trade Lawyers in Delhi?

Committee leadership

Firm leadership chairs the International Trade Law Committee of the Indian Industries Association, North India's largest MSME manufacturer association.

Lawyers and chartered accountants

A combined team, so the legal argument and the underlying costing and dumping margin data are handled by the same team rather than split across two advisors.

Both sides of the trade

Direct experience representing foreign producers, exporters and Indian importers before DGTR.

Positioned for DGTR

A Noida, Delhi NCR office positioned for in person hearings, verification visits and same day tracking of DGTR notifications.

Advisory built in

WTO, FTA and Foreign Trade Policy advisory alongside the trade remedy case itself, rather than as a separate engagement.

Who You'll Work With

Shashank Shekhar Gupta, founder of Marg Tax Advisors LLP, Chartered Accountant and lawyer

Shashank Shekhar Gupta

Founder · Chartered Accountant & Lawyer

Trade remedy cases at DGTR are led by Shashank Shekhar Gupta, founder of Marg Tax Advisors LLP, a Chartered Accountant and a lawyer who chairs both the International Trade Law Committee and the Goods and Services Tax Committee of the Indian Industries Association. Before founding the firm, he worked with Deloitte and other consulting practices, and has advised on VAT and indirect tax implementation outside India, including in Malaysia, Bhutan and the GCC countries.

Talk to Our Noida, Delhi NCR Based International Trade Law Team

If you have received a DGTR questionnaire, a disclosure statement, or a notice of initiation, the response deadline is usually short. Contact Marg Tax Advisors LLP to discuss the matter and the timeline you are working against. We aim to respond to new enquiries within one working day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from foreign exporters and Indian importers facing a DGTR proceeding.

What is the difference between an international trade lawyer and a customs lawyer in India?

An international trade lawyer generally handles trade remedy proceedings before DGTR (anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duty), WTO compliance and FTA advisory, while a customs lawyer focuses on duty classification, valuation and clearance disputes under the Customs Act, 1962. In practice the two overlap often, since an anti-dumping duty is ultimately collected at the customs stage, which is why our team handles both.

How long does an anti-dumping investigation take in India?

DGTR typically issues a preliminary finding within a few months of initiation and a final finding within twelve to eighteen months, though extensions do occur. Once notified by the Department of Revenue, the duty stays in force for five years unless extended through a sunset review.

Can a foreign exporter appoint an Indian law firm to represent it before DGTR?

Yes. Foreign producers and exporters routinely appoint Indian counsel to file the questionnaire response, attend the oral hearing and respond to the disclosure statement on their behalf. This is standard practice in DGTR proceedings, not an exception.

Where can an anti-dumping duty finding be challenged?

Under Section 9C of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, an order relating to anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or safeguard duty can be appealed before the CESTAT.

What is a sunset review and when should one be filed?

A sunset review examines whether an anti-dumping duty should continue beyond its initial 5-year term. Indian practice requires the domestic industry to apply for a sunset review before the existing duty expires, typically in the final year of that 5-year period, since the duty lapses automatically if a review is not initiated in time.

Do I need to be located in Delhi to hire your firm for a DGTR matter?

No. Our office is in Noida, Delhi NCR, but we act for clients located anywhere in India and overseas, supported by virtual consultations where a hearing does not require physical presence.

International Trade Lawyers in Delhi| International Trade Law Firm in Delhi| Customs Lawyer in Delhi| Tax Advisors in Delhi| GST Advisor in Delhi| GST Lawyer in Delhi| GST Consultants in Delhi| GST Registration Consultants in Delhi| Customs Duty Consultants in Delhi| Foreign Trade Policy Consultants in Delhi| Anti-Dumping Lawyer India| Anti-Dumping Duty Consultant India| Anti-Dumping Investigation Lawyer India| Trade Remedies Lawyer India| DGTR Representation Consultant| Countervailing Duty Consultant India| Customs Litigation Lawyer Delhi| Customs Valuation Consultant| DGFT Consultant in Delhi| Advance Authorisation Consultant| Import Export Compliance Consultant India| Customs Show Cause Notice Reply| GST Refund Consultant Delhi| GST Litigation Lawyer Delhi| GST Appeal Consultant| Reply To GST Show Cause Notice| GST Departmental Audit Support| How to Respond to an Anti-Dumping Investigation in India?| Anti-Dumping Duty Process in India| GST Refund Process for Exporters|