ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear a case involving Customs Appellate Tribunal today, challenging a decision announced by tribunal’s Member Technical, M Nasir Khan.
A division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani would hear the case filed by Muhammad Nadeem. The appellant was caught at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad for allegedly trying to smuggle mobile phones into the country.
Model customs collectorate, deputy collector, collector customs adjudication had decided and maintained the order on confiscation of 50 mobiles and termed the endeavour as ‘smuggling’ of mobile items.
Customs Collectorate also offered the Nadeem to redeem mobile items by paying fine (30 percent) of total cost of mobile items. The appellant had declined the offer then.
The appellant brought the matter to customs appellate tribunal where the decision to keep confiscated mobiles was maintained, however the tribunal strike down Model Customs Collectorate’s decisions to term mobile phones’ import as ‘smuggling’.
The tribunal did not grant any further relief to the party stating the reason that MCC had already offered him to redeem the confiscated items by paying 30 percent of the total cost.
Now, the IHC division bench would hear the matter following petition filed by Nadeem in which the appellant had sought relief from court and release of mobile without paying fine. The appellant had termed Customs Collectorate and tribunal’s decision as lacking lawful grounds and discriminatory.
