KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed customs officials to consider request of the M/s. Vohra Chemical for provisional release of its consignment strictly in accordance with law and such progress report be furnished to this court on next date of hearing. M/s Vohra Chemical challenged enhancement in valuation.
On 23 July 2020, a two-member bench heard the matter, during the hearing, Shabir Ahmed, advocate, holding brief for Ms. Masooda Siraj, Advocate for customs department, stated that this matter is assigned to the latter, who is out of station and sought time to file parawise comments and valkalantname, Muhammad Rashid Arfi Advocate files vakalatnama for Director Valuation and also seeks time to file comments.
Counsel for the petitioner has mainly contented that the application for revising of valuation ruling under section 25A of the customs act, 1969, filed by the petitioner is pending before the director Valuation and per him, the petitioner has also approached the customs officials for provisional release of the subject consignment under the provision of section 81 of the customs act, 1969, contending further that in several cases of similar nature pending before the court, interim orders, directing the collector of customs to consider the petitioners’ requests for provisional release of their consignments, have been passed.
He prayed that such an interim order may also be passed in this case.
Earlier, counsel for the petitioner stated that petitioner has imported a consignment comprising synthetic rubber NBR & SBR 1502 from South Korea and filed goods declaration according with law, however, the concerned officer has not agreed with the declared transactional value and arbitrarily assessed the values on the basis of valuation ruling no 1091/2017 which under the law does not exist and has become very older more than 90 days.
