Lahore: The Lahore High Court issued a moratorium on Tuesday, restricting the government from taking any “coercive measures” against sugar factories owned by PTI leader Jahangir Tareen until the next hearing. Implement measures related to sugar prices determined by the Executive Committee. government.
Judge Rasaal Hasan Syed passed these orders while hearing a petition filed by JK Sugar Mills and JDW Sugar Mills, challenging the government’s notice to fix the retail price of sugar at 89.5 rupees per kilogram.
At the beginning of the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer argued that the Minister of Industry had fixed the ex-factory price and retail price of sugar at 84.50 rupees and 89.50 rupees, respectively, through a notice on July 30.
At the outset of the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the secretary of industries had fixed the ex-mill and retail price of sugar at the rate of Rs84.50 and Rs89.50, respectively, on July 30 through a notification.
He contended that the step was illegal and that the petitioners were aggrieved by the fixing of sugar prices.
The lawyer believes that the government’s pricing is unreasonable and runs counter to the actual situation of production costs, and it is impossible to sell sugar at this price.
The lawyer moved the court to cancel the notice.
In response, a law enforcement officer objected, saying that after listening to the positions of 32 sugar factories, the price of sugar was fixed.
He insisted that all requirements had been met before the price of sugar was determined.
Subsequently, after hearing the opinions, the court restricted the provincial government from taking compulsory measures against the complainant’s factory before the next hearing.
The court issued notices to the Punjab government and other parties in the case to seek their answers at the next hearing.
It also ordered the sugar factory to submit a guarantor equivalent to the sugar price difference to the sugar cane commissioner.
It further ordered that all identical petitions be fixed with the main case and that the cane commissioner maintain a record of the sugar mills’ supply.
Last year, PM Imran Khan had tasked the Federal Investigation Agency to investigate the sugar crisis that had led to a shortage of the commodity in the country and due to which sugar prices skyrocketed. He tasked the FIA to find out who benefited from the crisis.
A report by the FIA released last year said that top PTI members were among those who gained from the recent sugar crisis in the country.
