KARACHI: M/s Huffaz Seamless Pipe Industries Limited has approached The Sindh High Court (SHC) and filed a constitutional petition for restoration of its warehouse license suspended by customs officials due to alleged involvement of evasion.
On 2 February 2021, counsel for the petitioner stated that petitioner is only seamless pipe manufacturer of Pakistan and finished seamless pipe supplied to vital oil and gas sector of Pakistan, petitioner is the instant is aggrieved and dissatisfied by an order in original no 26 of 2020 dated Nov 12, 2020 passed by Collector of Customs Adjudication at Quetta, the petitioner has filed an appeal before the customs appellate tribunal however, due to unavailability of benches before the customs appellate tribunal, the case/ injunction application is waiting adjudication.
He further informed the court that Collector of Customs on Sep 04, 2020 issued the impugned show cause notice which inter alia, alleges that during the course of stock-taking exercise, the special audit team, while conducting stock-taking of a private bonded warehouse 42/84 dated Oct 24, 2019 and ST NO 471/2019 dated May 25, 2020, allegedly found that 1375 iron pipes and 926 bars were missing.
He further argued that respondents have charged the petitioner for evasion, failing to mention the state of dysfunction of business in offices, factories and warehouse in Karachi and Hyderabad and respondents, for alleged missing goods (which and are present today), not only cancelled the warehousing license of the petitioner vide order in original no 01/ 2020 but also contravention on fabricated story and sent it for adjudication to the Collector of Customs Adjudication Quetta, who issued the show cause notice mindless and converted the same into impugned order in original no 26 of 2020mechanically without application of prudent mind.
Citing Collector of Customs Adjudication Quetta, Collector of Customs MCC Hyderabad, Deputy Collector (Bonded Warehouse) Dry Port, MCC Hyderabad and Customs Appellate Tribunal Karachi as respondents, petitioner set aside the cancellation of the warehouse license on terms and conditions as deemed appropriate by this court. Bar the respondents from taking any coercive action/ pass any harsh order against the petitioner.
