The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued an order preventing the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) from pursuing legal action against fashion designer Nomi Ansari in a tax fraud case reportedly involving over Rs. 1 billion.
A division bench of the SHC, presided over by Acting Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, issued the directive during the hearing of a petition filed by the designer challenging the registration of an First Information Report (FIR) by the FBR.
The court has issued notices to the FBR, the Secretary of the Revenue Division, the FBR Chairman, and the concerned Assistant Commissioner Inland Revenue, requiring their appearance before the court on May 23.
In addition to summoning the FBR officials, the bench specifically ordered the FBR official responsible for registering the FIR against the designer to be present at the next hearing to provide justification for the action taken.
The petitioners argued before the court that the FBR’s action of filing the FIR contravened a prior interim order issued by the SHC in a related case previously filed by the designer. They contended that the FIR was initiated without proper legal authority and jurisdiction.
The petition also highlighted that the FBR had previously conducted an unlawful raid and sealed the designer’s business premises. This sealing was also challenged in the SHC, which had suspended the FBR’s order regarding the sealing last month. Furthermore, the petitioners’ counsel informed the court that earlier notices and summons issued to the designer concerning the same matter had also been suspended by the court in separate legal proceedings.
