Eternal Hit with INR 3.7 Crore GST Demand Order, Faces Interest and Penalty

A goods and services tax (GST) demand order totalling INR 3,69,80,242 for the period of April 2019 to March 2020 has been sent to Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, together with interest and penalties. The Additional Commissioner of State Tax (Appeals), West Bengal, issued the directive.

According to a recent regulatory statement from Eternal, the demand order about the shortfall in output tax payment, along with the associated interest and penalty, has been received. The business stated that it will appeal the ruling to the relevant authority since it feels it has a compelling case on its own merits.

According to Eternal's regulatory filing, the Additional Commissioner of State Tax (Appeals), West Bengal, issued an order on January 6, 2026, for the period of April 2019 to March 2020, confirming the demand of GST of INR 1,92,43,792 with interest of INR 1,58,12,070 and penalty of INR 19,24,380.

Zomato Terminates About 5,000 Delivery Partners a Month

According to Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and fast commerce platform Blinkit, the food delivery platform Zomato fires about 5,000 gig workers every month due to fraud cases, while between 1.5 and 2 lakh workers quit the platform voluntarily.

Goyal claimed in a video podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani that out of 7.5 lakh gig workers, Zomato fires 5,000 per month. However, 1.5 to 2 lakh people take time off on their own each month, and a comparable number of others join the system each month. Those who quit willingly view gig labour as primarily temporary, he continued. Goyal's remarks coincide with rallies by gig workers' unions against the company and other fast commerce and meal delivery services.

According to Goyal, the company gives insurance in the event that a gig worker dies in an accident and also makes job offers to families, despite unions' claims that gig workers are paid inadequate pay and labour under terrible working circumstances, including a lack of social security. He said that an individual can easily make up to INR 25,000 if they work on the platform for eight to ten hours a day, six days a week. However, TGPWA and GIPSWU have denied the CEO's assertions.

Gig Workers’ Union Rejects Zomato CEO’s Claims

The Telangana delivery workers' union has reacted to Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal's support of the company's gig model by calling the existing working conditions "not decent work". This has intensified the discussion around compensation and benefits in India's rapidly expanding quick commerce industry. A five-point statement outlining how delivery partners make money on Zomato and Blinkit was posted by Goyal on X.

It included an average hourly wage of INR 102 in 2025 (not counting tips) and an increase of 10.9% annually. According to him, partners set their own hours, keep all of the gratuities from customers, and are not coerced into reckless driving by promises of 10-minute delivery. Goyal also emphasised the importance of welfare benefits like pension support and insurance.