LHC stops implementation of sugar price notification

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday restrained the Punjab government from implementing a notification about fixing the ex-mill and retail price of sugar at Rs80 and Rs85 per kg respectively.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan passed the order on petitions filed by the Tandlianwala Sugar Mills and others and summoned the provincial secretary for industries, the cane commissioner and officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for Wednesday (today).

The counsel for the mills argued that the government damaged the reputation of the petitioners by levelling the false allegation of hoarding the sugar. They said the Industries Department deputed its officials in the mills to enforce the ex-mill price of sugar. They argued that the government could not enforce its prices on the mills. They asked the court to set aside the impugned notification about fixing the prices of the commodity.

The judge suspended the notification and summoned the respondents. The Directorate General Industries had issued a directive to all commissioners and deputy commissioners that the retail price of sugar should not be fixed more than Rs85 per kilogram after the federal government calculated the ex-mill price at Rs80.