Section 130 of the Customs Act is described as establishing a...

Section 130 of the Customs Act is described as establishing a self-contained, two-stage appellate process. At the pre-admission stage, the High Court conducts an ex parte screening limited to whether the memorandum discloses a substantial question of law; respondents cannot intervene then to contest maintainability, jurisdiction, or the applicable rate-of-duty notification. Those objections are deferred to the post-admission hearing under Section 130(5), where respondents may argue that the framed questions do not arise or are legally barred. High Court Rules cannot override the statutory sequence, and provisions concerning procedural defects do not permit a merits-based threshold challenge. The preliminary objection was rejected and the appeal was directed to proceed ex parte on admission.

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