KARACHI: Ibad-ur-Rahman, an importer of Monosodium glutamate commonly known as Ajinomoto was admitted to protective bail by a Sindh High Court bench for a week to surrender before the trial court.
The applicant/accused was booked by ASO in two FIRs 291 of 2019 and 312 of 2019 registered at ASO PS. According to details, applicant, owner of United Chemical Corporation imported two consignments of the salt in 2017. The customs later detained the consignment after a Supreme Court of Pakistan bench placed a ban on the imported salt as it was injurious to human health. The consignment was in a bonded ware house. Now the customs lodged FIRs under section 2 S and section 156 of the Customs Act 1969. The custom officials raided Yousuf Godown situated at Hawksbay Truck Stand and seized 524 cartons and registered FIR 291/2019. In another raid at Musthaq Gowdown, SITE, customs sezied 372 cartons and lodged second FIR 312/2019. Ms Dilkhurram Shaheen advocate representing the applicant/accused in bail before arrest pleaded that the consignment was legally imported through legal channel and GD was duly filed. It was detained on the pretest of order of the apex court while the consignments landed at the port much before order of the apex court and therefore not application to the consignment in dispute. She contended that the consignment was in custody of the officials and hence applicant/accused cannot be booked in these FIR’s.
The bench after detailed hearing admitted the applicant accused to protective bail for seven days against a solvent surety of rupees 50,000 in each case directing the applicant to surrender before the court within seven days.