KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed Customs Department to ensure filing of its comments on the next date of hearing on a constitutional petition filed by Chakar Khan, seeking release of his passenger bus seized by the Customs Department due to alleged involvement in high speed diesel smuggling case.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, was hearing the petition. During the hearing, counsel for the Customs Department Khalid Mehmood Rajpar advocate appeared and stated that he did not receive the copy of petition. Therefore, the court directed petitioner to supply the copy of the petition to the Customs Department. The court also directed officials of the Customs Department to file comments on the next date of hearing.
Earlier, counsel for the petitioner stated that the petitioner is lawful owner of passenger bus bearing no:BSA-586 and never involved in any criminal case, however, officials of the customs department intercepted the same and seized illegally, he argued that allegation fixed by customs department in baseless.
Citing Sectary Ministry of Finance, Chief Collector of Customs, Model Customs Collectorate, Deputy Collector of Customs Adjudication, Iftikhar Ahmed, Collector of Customs Model Customs Collectorate Preventive as respondents, he pleaded the court to declare the act of the respondents as illegal, mala fide and arbitrary, he also pleaded the court to direct them to release his passenger bus immediately and restrain them from taking any coercive action against the petitioner till final order in this petition.
