LHC extends stay order against CCP’s show-cause notices to sugar mills again

LHC extends stay order against CCP’s show-cause notices to sugar mills again

LHC extends stay order against CCP’s show-cause notices to sugar mills again

The Lahore High Court (LHC) building. Image: File

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LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday once again extended stay order against the show-cause notices of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) issued to several sugar mills owned by politicians of the ruling and opposition parties, for alleged violation of laws to monopolise the commodity.

SW Sugar Mills, Gojra Samundari Sugar Mills and others had challenged the legality of the notices and the jurisdiction of the CCP.

Read more: LHC issues show cause notices to sugar mills of Khusro Bakhtiar, Sharif family

On behalf of the mills, Advocate Sultan Ali Awan contended today that the impugned notices had been issued based on an illegal inquiry report prepared under a redundant law of 2007.

He stated that petitions against previous notices were already pending before the Supreme Court, and the commission had issued fresh impugned notices to the petitioners.

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Questioning the existence of the CCP, the lawyer argued that under the law, the commission shall consist of not less than five members and not more than seven.

However, Advocate Awan said, at present, there were only four members of the commission in utter violation of the mandatory provisions of the Competition Act 2010.

He argued that the entire composition of the CCP was neither under the law nor it fulfilled the mandatory statutory requirements.

The counsel asked the LHC to set aside the impugned show-cause notices and declare the CCP non-existent, invalid and illegal for being not in consonance with the law.

Read more: Larger LHC bench sought on petitions against new LG law

After hearing the arguments, Justice Ayesha A Malik of the LHC extended the stay order.

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Earlier on December 9, the court had suspended the operation of the impugned notices and sought replies from the respondents.

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