This article critically examines whether mere uploading of notices on the GST portal satisfies the statutory requirement of “service” under Section 169 of the CGST Act, 2017. The High Courts have inconsistently taken different stances, where some of them have interpreted "service" as per the threshold requirement of Section 169 of the CGST Act, 2017, and others have interpreted that it ought to be an "effective communication". The article argues that, read in light of Section 13 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, portal uploads may constitute “technical receipt” on a designated computer resource. However, mere receipt is insufficient in substance. It further argues that even in erstwhile framework, such as Section 37C of the Central Excise Act, 1944, Section 153 of the Customs Act, 1962, and Section 27 of the General Clauses Act, 1897, service has consistently required delivery, receipt, and acknowledgment. It further distinguishes email-based service, which carries a rebuttable presumption of receipt, from passive portal uploads that lack any mechanism of notice or acknowledgment. The article concludes that Section 169 must be interpreted in a manner consistent with principles of natural justice, and that mere portal availability cannot substitute effective communication