ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that once a case is conclusively decided, it cannot be reopened, particularly by a subordinate judicial forum. The six-page judgment, authored by Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, emphasized that this principle preserves the sanctity of justice and prevents repetitive litigation over the same issue.
The ruling came in a case involving the seizure of Hino Prime Movers by the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation. The Sindh High Court had earlier declared that the vehicles were imported for resale rather than for the intended purpose under the Import Policy Order 2013, and the Supreme Court upheld this decision in 2016.
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Despite the finality of the verdict, the petitioners again approached the Customs Appellate Tribunal, which reversed the original order. The apex court termed this act “contemptuous” and clarified that under the doctrine of past and closed transactions, settled matters cannot be revisited.
