KARACHI: Justice Junaid Ghaffar of High Court of Sindh (SHC) on Tuesday fixed April 30 to hear a suit filed by one Fazal-e-Rabbi against Directorate of Intellectual Property Right, Pakistan Customs. The plaintiff questions the seizure of goods from the consignment under transhipment from Karachi to Peshawar.
The IPR officials detained the consignment and seized the number of articles including chargers, creams (cosmectics) on ground that they have received a complaint.
A counsel from Franklin Law Associates appearing for the plaintiff submitted that the consignment was under trans-shipment and hence IPR directorate has no jurisdiction in the matter. There was no valid complaint as according to law, each complaint must be supported by a surety of rupees 500,000.
The bench after hearing the counsel for plaintiff fixed April 30 to hear the defendant sides for a judgment.
The same bench also ordered issuance of notice to the West Collectorate, Pakistan Customs for April 19 in a suit filed by Firaj Footwear Private Limited against blocking of their NTN.
The NTN was blocked after custom asked the plaintiff to submit a surety against a bank guarantee they submitted for provisional release of their imported goods maintaining that stay order granted by the court expired after passage of six months.
The counsel for plaintiff maintains that the case is still pending before SHC and thus unless the stay order is recalled, it still holds the field and in such a situation blocking of their NTN is illegal and damaging for their business.
The bench after hearing initial arguments ordered issuance of notice to the respondent collectorate for April 19.