On April 24, the Sindh High Court (SHC) temporarily restrained the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) from initiating coercive measures against prominent fashion designer Nomi Ansari in an alleged tax fraud case exceeding Rs1 billion.
A two-member bench led by Acting Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar also issued notices to FBR representatives and the deputy attorney general, scheduling the next hearing for May 23. The court ordered the responsible FBR official, who filed the FIR, to appear in person to clarify his stance.
Nomi Ansari, whose full name is Muhammad Noman, and his employee, Imran Musil, filed the petition against the secretary of revenue division, the chairman of FBR, and the assistant commissioner of inland revenue. The petitioners challenged the legality of an FIR lodged on April 18, asserting it violated an earlier interim order by the SHC.
During preliminary hearings, petitioners’ attorneys Ahmed Masood and Muhammad Altaf argued that the FIR was registered unlawfully and without jurisdiction. They highlighted the FBR’s allegedly illegal raid and sealing of Ansari’s premises, which the court had previously suspended.
Additionally, the lawyers noted that the petitioners had received a summons related to this matter, which the SHC had also previously suspended.
The court’s decision temporarily relieves Ansari, pausing all FBR actions pending further judicial examination.
