New Delhi, April 2 -- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has clarified that investments made in India before 1 April 2017 are outside the scope of the anti-abuse rule General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR), refining earlier language that had drawn criticism for ambiguity.

An official order issued on Wednesday stated that GAAR - which empowers tax authorities to deny tax benefits to transactions primarily aimed at tax avoidance - will not apply to such investments.

The move makes the carveout explicit, replacing earlier language that had been criticised as complex and open to interpretation.

Experts said the clarification is significant, particularly in light of the Supreme Court's January ruling that Tiger Global's 2018 sale of Flip...