KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the customs officials and deputy attorney general of Pakistan and directed them to file their respective para wise comments on a constitutional petition filed by M/s A-One Steel against detention of its imported consignment of 10- steel coils.
On 14 January 2021, during the hearing, counsel for the petitioner stated that petitioner is a duly registered sole proprietor and a recognized manufacture of automotive parts having its manufacturing unit and Multan and lawfully imported galvanized/ electro galvanized steel sheet coils of secondary quality which were illegally seized by the customs officials and is pursuance show cause notice was issued, however, notwithstanding the show cause notice has been vacated by the collector of customs adjudication-I with directions to release the goods, however, customs officials continues detain the goods illegally and without any lawful authority.
He further submitted that petitioner having no other alternates, adequate and efficacious remedy available under the law prefers this petition.
Citing chairman FBR, collector of Customs Appraisement & Facilitation West and Director Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation-Customs as respondents, petitioner pleaded the court to declare that the act of detaining/ withholding petitioners’ s 10- steel coils which were ordered to be released vide order-in-original No 921/2019 dated March 17, 2020 is illegal, arbitrary and without any lawful authority.
He further pleaded the court to direct Director Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation-Customs to release the subject goods to the petitioner without any further delay and grant any other relief which this court deems just and appropriate in the circumstance of this case.