M/SBKIMPEX v. OFFICEOFTHECOMMISSIONEROFCUSTOMS.....RespondentsThrough & Anr.
Judgment
INTHEHIGHCOURTOFDELHIATNEWDELHI+W.P.(C)2003/2025M/SBKIMPEX.....PetitionerThrough: Mr.SholabArora, Adv. (M:+919988544599)versusOFFICEOFTHECOMMISSIONEROFCUSTOMS&ANR......RespondentsThrough: Mr.HarpreetSingh, Sr.StandingCounsel, Ms.SuhaniMathurandMr.JaiAhuja, Advs.forR-1.(M:9811253531)Mr.SantoshKumarRout, StandingCounselforPNBwithMs.DharnaVeragi, CounselforPNB/R-2.CORAM:JUSTICEPRATHIBAM.SINGHJUSTICEDHARMESHSHARMAORDER%17.02.20251.Thishearinghasbeendonethroughhybridmode.
ThePetitionerhasfiledapresentpetitionunderArticle226oftheConstitutionofIndiachallengingtheimpugnedcommunicationdated15thJanuary,2024issuedbytheRespondentNo.1-CommissionerofCustoms(Preventive),IGIAirport, NewDelhi. VidethesaidcommunicationtheRespondentNo.1hadrequestedthePunjabNationalBank, IndustrialComplex, DelhitofreezethesubjectbankaccountofthePetitioner.
ItisthecaseofthePetitionerthatthesaidcommunicationforfreezingofthesubjectbankaccountwasissuedon15thJanuary,2024inrespectofaninvestigationconductedbytheCustomsDepartmentquaathirdpartynamely,M/sSinghTradingCo.Itissubmittedthatsinceissuanceofthesaid This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 01/07/2025 at 18:14:06 communicationthePetitionerisunabletooperatethesubjectbankaccount.
ItisalsosubmittedthatnoshowcausenoticehasbeenissuedtilldatetothePetitionerbytheCustomsDepartment. Further, thereisnoinvolvementofthePetitionerinanymannerwithM/sSinghTradingCo.,whichwasunderinvestigationbytheCustomsDepartment.
Whenthematterwaslistedinthemorning, theld. CounselfortheCustomsDepartmenthadrequestedtimetoseekinstructions. Accordingly, thematterwaspassedover.
Thematterwastakenpostlunchonsecondcallandtheld. CounselfortheCustomsDepartmentinformedtheCourtthattheDepartmenthasnoobjectionifthesubjectbankaccountisde-freezed.
ConsideringthatsubstantialamountoftimehasalreadylapsedandtherearenoallegationsagainstthePetitioneritself, asalsoinviewofthestandoftheCustomsDepartment, itisdirectedthatthePetitioner’sbanka/cNo.0984102100000669inPunjabNationalBank, bede-freezedimmediately.
Mr.SantoshKumarRout, ld.standingcounselforPunjabNationalBankisrequestedtointimatetoday’sordertotheconcernedofficialsofthesaidbanksothattheordercanbegiveneffecttowithin48hours.
Thepresentpetitionisdisposedofintheseterms. Pendingapplication, if any, isalsodisposedof.PRATHIBAM.SINGH,J.DHARMESHSHARMA,J.FEBRUARY17,2025/dk/ms
Precedent status how later indexed judgments have treated this case
No known negative treatment found in the Courts & Cases corpus.
This is a result about the indexed corpus, not a finding that the judgment remains good law. Coverage may be incomplete.