Dear Parmita, it is not a question of whether cenvat credit can be utilised to pay service tax liability which arises as a result of reverse charges mechanism. It is actually a question of whether cenvat credit is allowable on service tax paid under reverse charge mechanism as a service recipient .
As long as the service tax amount pertains to input services, the amount so paid is allowed as input credit.
Input services is defined as follows.
Rule 2(l) of Cenvat Credit Rules (as effective from 1-4-2011), defines ‘input service’ as follows –
“Input service” means any service, -
(i) used by a provider of taxable service for providing an output service; or
(ii) used by a manufacturer, whether directly or indirectly, in or in relation to the manufacture of final products and clearance of final products upto the place of removal,
and includes services used in relation to modernisation, renovation or repairs of a factory, premises of provider of output service or an office relating to such factory or premises, advertisement or sales promotion, market research, storage upto the place of removal, procurement of inputs, accounting, auditing, financing, recruitment and quality control, coaching and training, computer networking, credit rating, share registry, security, business exhibition, legalservices, inward transportation of inputs or capital goods and outward transportation upto the place of removal;