The dispute began in November 2020 when CCP issued identical notices to PSMA works nationwide
Police officers walk past the Supreme Court of Pakistan building in Islamabad, Pakistan April 6, 2022. REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the respondents while hearing a review petition filed by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) against an SC division order in a case related to imposition of fines on sugar mills.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan and Justice Shakeel Ahmad heard the petition.
During the proceedings, CCP’s lawyer Asma Hamid argued that the Supreme Court had remanded the case to the tribunal instead of the commission.
She claimed that the CCP sought a modification of the SC order to allow the commission, instead of the court, to hear the case. The CJP observed that if this was the only plea in the appeal, the court could pass an appropriate order.
However, Justice Ahmad noted that the court would decide the case only after hearing all the parties. The CJP further observed that cases in the CCP remain pending for years. The court later issued notices to the parties and adjourned the hearing to next Thursday.
An SC division bench comprising Justice Shakeel Ahmad and Justice Aamer Farooq on September 28, 2025, set aside a fine of Rs 44 billion imposed by the CCP on the country’s sugar mills.
Through the ruling, the court overturned both the Competition Appeal Court’s May 21, 2025 ruling and the CCP’s August 13, 2021 “decisive vote” decision.
The dispute began in November 2020 when the CCP issued identical notices to the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and mills across the country, accusing them of violating Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2010, which prohibits cartel-like conduct.
