SHC Issues Notice to Federal Secretary Revenue and FBR Chairman for April 21 Hearing
KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued a notice to the Federal Secretary of Revenue, Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and Assistant Commissioner IR Unit 4 for their hearing on April 21. This was after considering four petitions moved by Ms. Mariam Tahir and others. The bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar and Justice Mohammad Abdul Rahman, has temporarily put on hold February 25 and 26, 2025, notices and summons.
The petitioners, who were being represented by their attorneys Ahmed Masood and Syed Naveed Wasti, contested the notices and summons issued in terms of Section 37 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.
The lawyers of the petitioners clarified that before filing the petitions, the petitioners’ premises were searched by the tax authorities under Section 40 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990. Consequently, on February 20, 2025, the premises were sealed. The sealing order was challenged in case CP–D 881/2025, and the order was suspended on March 3, 2025. The petition remains under consideration.
Further, the petitioners in case 1096 have already been issued a Show Cause Notice under Section 11-E of the Sales Tax Act, 1990. The petitioners have already replied to the notice, and the proceedings are still pending without a final ruling.
The counsel for the petitioners submitted that the steps taken by the revenue authorities were contrary to earlier judicial verdicts, such as rulings by the Sindh High Court and the Lahore High Court, in the Taj International (PVT) Ltd, Waseem Ahmed, and Agha Steel cases.
The court has now fixed the case for hearing on April 21, 2025, after entertaining these submissions and suspending the earlier notices and summons.
