A LHC division bench headed by Justice Shahid Karim passes the order, asserting that it is the responsibility of the Punjab government to determine sugar prices within the province.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Oct 5th, 2023) The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday declared the Federal notification regarding sugar prices in Punjab to be null and void.
A division bench headed by Justice Shahid Karim passed the order, asserting that it is the responsibility of the Punjab government to determine sugar prices within the province.
The bench invalidated the federal notification for sugar price fixation, which had been issued by the federal secretary, Controller General Price.
The court's concise verdict specifies that the Price Act of 1977, which governed sugar prices in Punjab, is no longer in effect. A comprehensive verdict on this matter will be released at a later date.
This legal action arose from a challenge brought forward by sugar mills against the federal government's notification regarding sugar price regulation.
Earlier in the process, the Lahore High Court, acting on a petition from sugar mills, had issued notices to the federal government and other involved parties.
The court, during the proceedings, questioned whether the responsibility of fixing sugar prices lies with the federal government or the provinces.
Sugar mills' lawyer, Imtiaz Siddiqui, argued that, according to the 18th Amendment, provinces hold the authority to make decisions regarding matters related to the food sector.
Furthermore, he claimed that the sugar price had been determined without consulting the mills, and that the sugar advisory board had not taken their perspective into account during the price-fixing process.
Imtiaz Siddiqui requested the court to suspend the one-sided sugar price fixation by the board.
