The Supreme Court has ruled that vehicles imported in violation of the Import Policy Ordinance cannot be released and will remain confiscated. The decision was made in a detailed written judgment published for reporting purposes. A three-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, passed the order. The court earlier heard dozens of similar appeals regarding vehicles imported in violation of the Import Policy Ordinance, 2022. The SC disagreed with the earlier judgments of the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the Customs Appellate Tribunal and held that import of vehicles beyond the prescribed age limit is illegal and such vehicles cannot be released even after payment of fines. The importers had placed the vehicles under the baggage, gift and residency transfer programs. Customs authorities, however, argued that these vehicles exceeded the age limit of three or five years allowed by the Import Policy Decree. Customs confiscated vehicles and imposed sanctions on importers and customs clearance agents. The Tribunal and the LHC subsequently authorized the conditional release on payment of a 35% redemption fine and due fees. The Supreme Court overturned this order, ruling that vehicles older than the permissible age are not importable under Annex E of the policy.
Surplus cars remain seized, SC rules
