IHC dismisses sugar barons' appeal against inquiry commission

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench on Tuesday dismissed an intra-court appeal moved by the Sugar Mills Association, terming the sugar inquiry commission’s report legally valid.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Aamer Farooq announced a 52-page long verdict on the intra-court appeal, weeks after reserving its judgement following conclusion arguments in the case on July 24.

“We find no merit in this appeal, which is dismissed with no order as to costs,” reads the concluding paragraph of the verdict, calling for “expeditious compliance” directions given by an IHC single bench’s June 6 verdict which was challenged in the appeal.

This verdict came a day after the Sindh High Court (SHC) struck down the sugar inquiry commission and its report and ordered the authorities concerned to conduct a separate and independent inquiry into the sugar crisis.

An SHC division bench comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Omar Sial had announced the reserved verdict on a petition filed by the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) against the inquiry commission formed by the government to probe into a sugar crisis that hit the country earlier this year.

The SHC declared the report of Sugar Inquiry Commission null and void and also ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to carry out an independent inquiry as per law.