The dispute began in November 2020 when the PCC issued identical show-cause notices to PSMA and factories across the country.
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 the order of an SC division bench in a case related to imposition of sanctions 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 review petition.
During the proceedings, PCC lawyer Asma Hamid argued that the Supreme Court had returned the matter to the court instead of the commission.
He maintained that the PCC sought an amendment to the SC order to allow the commission, rather than the court, to hear the case. The CJP observed that if this was the only prayer in the appeal, the court could pass a suitable order.
However, Justice Ahmad noted that the court would decide the matter only after hearing all the parties. The CJP further observed that cases in the PCC remain pending for years. The court subsequently issued notices to the parties and adjourned the hearing till next Thursday.
On September 28, 2025, an SC division bench comprising Justice Shakeel Ahmad and Justice Aamer Farooq quashed a fine of Rs 44 billion that the PCC had imposed on sugar mills in the country.
By the order, the court set aside both the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s order of May 21, 2025 and the PCC’s “casting vote” decision of August 13, 2021.
The dispute began in November 2020, when the PCC issued identical show cause 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 behaviour.
