Islamabad
The Supreme Court on Thursday referred the sugar price case back to the Lahore High Court with directions to decide the matter within 15 days.
A three-member SC bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the case filed by the Federal government against the high court’s August 3 verdict regarding sugar price.
The government had in its appeal pleaded to the apex court to set aside the high court’s verdict.
The appeal said that the government fixed sugar price under the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977 and that the LHC did not have the authority to fix price of the commodity.
During the course of proceedings, the court granted conditional permission to the mills to sell sugar at fixed ex-mill rate.
The court also ordered that the sugar mills should voluntarily deposit the difference amount between the government’s fixed price and rate of the sugar mills in the high court till settlement of the issue.
Earlier additional attorney general informed the court that the government has fixed ex-mill rate of sugar at Rs 84 per kg, while the mills price was Rs 97. — APP
