Fixation of sugar price: SC refers issue for formation of larger bench

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday referred the case related to the federal government’s authority to determine the price of sugar to the Practice and Procedure Committee for the formation of a larger bench.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the federal government’s appeal against the Lahore High Court’s decision quashing the federal government’s sugar price notification.

Counsel for the respondent Sugar Mills, Shahzad Ata Elahi told the court that in July 2021 and September 2021, the federal government issued an order to fix sugar prices across the country. He submitted that the notification issued in this regard was challenged by the sugar mill owners in the High Court and the decision came in their favour.

He submitted that said that the federal government had made the price determination law in 1977 and the said notification was issued keeping in mind the 1977 law. He contended that as per the Federal Legislative List, Parliament does not have the power to fix the prices of food items and after the 18th Amendment, fixing the prices of sugar was not within the jurisdiction of the federal government at all. The counsel requested the formation of a larger bench to hear this matter as he contended that the matter is one of interpretation of the law, so the matter should be referred to the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Committee for the formation of a larger bench.

Later, the court agreed with the stance of the learned counsel and sent the matter to the committee to form a larger bench for hearing the instant case and adjourned further hearing for date-in-office (Indefinite period).