CUSTOM

Reference to High Court. –

(1) Within ninety days of the date on which the aggrieved person or Collector or Director of Intelligence and Investigation, or Director of Valuation, as the case may be, was served with order of the Appellate Tribunal under sub-section (3) of section 194B, the aggrieved person or any officer of Customs not below the rank of an Additional Collector or Additional Director, authorized by the Collector or Director in writing, may prefer an application, in the prescribed form along with a statement of the case, to the High Court, stating any question of law arising out of such order.

(2) The statement to the High Court, referred to in sub-section (1), shall set out the facts, the determination of the Appellate Tribunal and the question of law, which arises out of such order.

(3) Where, on an application made under sub-section (1), the High Court is satisfied that a question of law arises out of the order, referred to in sub-section (1), may proceed to hear the cases.

(4) A reference to the High Court under this section shall be heard by a Bench of not less than two judges of the High Court and, in respect of the reference, the provisions of section 98 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act V of 1908), shall apply so far as may be, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force.

(5) The High Court upon hearing a reference under this section shall decide the question of law raised by the reference and pass judgment thereon specifying the grounds on which such judgment is based and the Tribunal’s order shall stand modified accordingly. The Court shall send a copy of the judgment under the seal of the Court to the Appellate Tribunal:

“Provided that the reference filed under sub-section (1) shall be decided within six months of filing the application or within such extended period as the High Court may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, fix.”.

(6) Notwithstanding that a reference has been made to the High Court, the duty shall be payable in accordance with the order of the Appellate Tribunal:

Provided that, the amount of duty is reduced as a result of the judgment in the reference by such officer as authorized by the Collector or the High Court, and any amount of duty is found refundable, the High Court may, on application submitted by the Collector, within thirty days of the receipt of the judgment of the High Court, that he wants to prefer petition for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court, make an order authorizing the Collector to postpone the refund until the disposal of the appeal by the Supreme Court.

(7) Where recovery of duty has been stayed by the High Court by an order, such order shall cease to have effect on the expiration of a period of six months following the day on which it is made unless the reference is decided, or such order is withdrawn by the High Court earlier.

(8) Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1908 (IX of 1908), shall apply to an application made to the High Court under sub-section (1).

(9) An application under sub-section (1) by a person other than such officer as authorized by the Collector the Collector shall be accompanied by a fee of one hundred rupees.

(10) Notwithstanding anything in this Act where any reference or appeal was preferred with the approval of Collector by the officer below the rank of Collector, and the reference or appeal is pending before appellate forum or the Court, such reference or appeal shall be deemed to have been preferred and shall be deemed always to have been so preferred by the Collector.