Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using GSTMind Docs (the "Platform"), operated by GSTMind ("we," "us," or "our"), you ("User," "you") agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and GSTMind. Your continued use of the Platform after any modification to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

If you are accessing the Platform on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

2. Service Description

GSTMind Docs is an online platform that aggregates, organises, and presents publicly available Goods and Services Tax (GST) documents sourced from official portals operated by:

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) — idtc.icai.org
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) — cbic.gov.in

The Platform provides access to GST Notifications, Circulars, Instructions, Orders, Acts, Rules, Council Minutes, Press Releases, and ICAI Publications including Background Material, Handbooks, and Technical Guides.

We do not create, author, or modify any of the documents available on the Platform. All documents are the intellectual property of their respective government bodies and institutions.

3. Eligibility

To use the Platform, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be capable of forming a legally binding contract under Indian law
• Not be barred from using the Platform under applicable law
• Provide accurate and complete registration information

The Platform is intended primarily for Chartered Accountants, tax professionals, advocates, company secretaries, and other individuals engaged in GST-related professional activities in India. However, use is not restricted to these professions.

4. Account Registration & Security

4.1 Registration

To access the Platform's document library, you must create an account by providing your name, email address, and mobile number. Registration is completed through OTP (One-Time Password) verification sent to your email.

4.2 Account accuracy

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update such information to keep it accurate, current, and complete. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts where information is found to be inaccurate or misleading.

4.3 Account security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account. You agree to:

• Not share your account credentials with any other person
• Not allow any other person to access the Platform using your account
• Notify us immediately at support@gstmind.in if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account

GSTMind shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with these security obligations.

4.4 One account per person

Each individual may maintain only one account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent trial limitations or restrictions is a material breach of these Terms and will result in immediate termination of all associated accounts.

5. Free Trial

New users receive a complimentary 7-day free trial ("Trial") upon successful account registration. The Trial provides full access to all document categories available on the Platform.

• The Trial begins automatically upon account activation
• No credit card or payment information is required to start the Trial
• The Trial is available once per person — creating additional accounts to obtain further Trial periods is strictly prohibited
• Upon expiry of the Trial, access to documents is restricted until an active subscription is obtained
• We reserve the right to modify or discontinue the Trial offer at any time

6. Subscription & Billing

6.1 Paid plans

Paid subscription plans are currently in development. Pricing, billing cycles, and plan features will be published on the Platform prior to launch. By subscribing to a paid plan, you agree to pay all applicable fees.

6.2 Cancellation & refunds

Cancellation and refund policies will be specified at the time paid plans are made available. As a general principle, we aim to offer fair and transparent refund policies consistent with applicable Indian consumer protection law.

6.3 No chargebacks

If you dispute a charge with your bank or payment provider without first contacting us, we reserve the right to suspend your account pending resolution of the dispute.

7. Acceptable Use Policy

7.1 Permitted use

You may use the Platform solely for lawful, personal, and professional reference purposes. You may:

• Browse, search, and view documents on the Platform
• Share document links with other users
• Download documents to your device (paid subscribers only, where enabled)
• Reference documents in your professional work

7.2 Prohibited use

You must not:

• Scrape or bulk download — Use automated tools, bots, crawlers, or scripts to access, download, or copy documents or data from the Platform in bulk
• Redistribute — Republish, resell, sublicense, or redistribute Platform content or documents to third parties for commercial gain
• Circumvent security — Attempt to bypass, disable, or circumvent any security measure, authentication system, or access control on the Platform
• Reverse engineer — Decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any part of the Platform
• Misrepresent — Use the Platform in any way that misrepresents your identity or affiliation
• Interfere — Introduce viruses, malware, or any code designed to disrupt, damage, or limit the Platform's functionality
• Overload — Place an unreasonable or disproportionate load on the Platform's infrastructure
• Commercial exploitation — Use Platform content to build competing products or services without express written permission

8. Content, Accuracy & Currency

8.1 Source of documents

All documents on the Platform are sourced from official government and institutional portals. We make reasonable efforts to ensure documents are current and accurately presented. However:

• Documents may not reflect the latest amendments, corrigenda, or superseding notifications
• There may be a delay between the official publication of a document and its appearance on the Platform
• Document formatting may differ from the original official version

8.2 Not legal advice

8.3 Verification

We strongly recommend verifying the authenticity and currency of any document accessed through the Platform by cross-referencing with the original official source before using it for compliance, litigation, advisory, or any other professional purpose.

9. Intellectual Property

9.1 Platform IP

The Platform's design, software, interface, branding, logos, and technology are the intellectual property of GSTMind and are protected under applicable Indian and international intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, or create derivative works from the Platform without express written permission.

9.2 Government documents

GST documents published by CBIC and ICAI are government works. Under Section 52(1)(q) of the Copyright Act, 1957, reproduction of government works for non-commercial purposes may be permitted. However, commercial redistribution or reproduction of such documents without authorisation may constitute infringement. You are responsible for ensuring your use of such documents complies with applicable law.

9.3 User content

We do not collect or store any content created by users. User-generated content is limited to account information provided during registration.

10. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Platform, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

We are committed to compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and applicable rules thereunder.

11. Disclaimers

11.1 "As is" basis

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

11.2 No guarantee of availability

We do not guarantee that the Platform will be available at all times, uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components. We may suspend, modify, or discontinue the Platform at any time without notice.

11.3 No guarantee of accuracy

We do not warrant that documents on the Platform are accurate, complete, current, or suitable for any particular purpose. GST law changes frequently — documents that were correct at the time of publication may be superseded by subsequent amendments.

11.4 Third-party links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites (including CBIC and ICAI portals). We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or availability of such websites and disclaim all liability in respect thereof.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE INDIAN LAW:

• GSTMIND, ITS DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM
• THIS INCLUDES, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR ANY LOSS ARISING FROM RELIANCE ON DOCUMENTS ACCESSED THROUGH THE PLATFORM
• OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO GSTMIND IN THE THREE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM
• IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID ANY AMOUNT (E.G., DURING THE FREE TRIAL), OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED ₹500

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless GSTMind and its directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Your use of the Platform in breach of applicable law
• Your violation of any third party's rights
• Any misrepresentation made by you

14. Termination

14.1 By you

You may terminate your account at any time by using the "Delete Account" option on your profile page. Upon deletion, your personal data will be removed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

14.2 By us

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate your account, with or without notice, if:

• You violate these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy
• We are required to do so by law or a regulatory authority
• We reasonably believe your use poses a security or legal risk to the Platform or other users
• You provide false or misleading registration information

14.3 Effect of termination

Upon termination, your right to access the Platform ceases immediately. Sections 9, 11, 12, 13, and 15 of these Terms shall survive termination.

15. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

15.1 Governing law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

15.2 Jurisdiction

Any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.

15.3 Informal resolution

Before initiating any formal legal proceedings, you agree to first contact us at support@gstmind.in and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will make reasonable efforts to resolve any concern within 30 days of receipt.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Send an email notification to registered users where changes are significant

Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Platform and delete your account.

17. Contact Information

For privacy-related requests under the DPDP Act 2023, please refer to our Privacy Policy.