New petrol price challenged in Lahore High Court

LAHORE: A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday challenging the government notification increasing price of petrol by Rs 6, ARY News reported.

Prices of petrol and high speed diesel have been increased by Rs6 a litre, each. While, the prices of kerosene oil and light diesel were hiked by Rs3 a litre each by the government on Sunday (March 31).

The government decision on petrol price hike was challenged by Advocate Azhar Siddique.

The petitioner pleaded in his application that the current government was following the footsteps of their predecessors and the hike in petrol would increasingly affect the masses.

Read: Govt hikes petrol price by Rs6 a litre

He said the Supreme Court had already taken the suo motu notice regarding additional taxes of petroleum products, hence no further increase in petrol rates could be made until the court announces verdict in the pending case.

He said the fresh increase in petroleum prices’ was not at par with the rates of oil in international market.

The petitioner requested the court to nullify government decision of hike in fuel rates.

The new petrol price will be Rs98.89 a litre and high speed diesel price will be Rs117.43 a litre.

Similarly, light diesel oil price and kerosene oil price will be Rs80.54 and Rs89.31 per litre respectively.

On March 29, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had prepared a summary for another increase in rates of petroleum products up to Rs11 a litre from the month of April.

The regulatory authority had suggested the federal government for making an increase of Rs11.91 per litre in petrol rates from April 1.

In the summary sent to Petroleum Division, it was recommended to hike Rs11.17 per litre in high-speed diesel, Rs6.65 per litre on kerosene oil and Rs6.49 in light diesel.