Pakistan

LHC declares fuel price adjustment in electricity bills ‘illegal’

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

LHC Judge Ali Baqar Najafi announces verdict.
Court nullifies change in tariff without hearing consumer.
NEPRA directed to take action against overcharging.

LAHORE: In a major decision, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday declared the imposition of fuel price adjustment in electricity bills illegal.

LHC Judge Ali Baqar Najafi announced the verdict, which was reserved on October 10, 2022, on similar petitions amounting to 3,659.

The court declared that “the demand of fuel price adjustment, quarter tariff adjustment, change of status of tariff from industrial to commercial by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) not constituted fully under section 3 of the NEPRA Act, 1997 is illegal,” read the judgement.

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The court also nullified the change in tariff without hearing the consumer and directed NEPRA to take action against the overcharging.

The regulatory body has been directed to inform the consumers about the charges on a monthly basis and the fuel price adjustment shall not go beyond seven days and the quarter tariff adjustment shall not go beyond the statutory period, the verdict said.

The court directed NEPRA to fix the responsibility of over-charging on the basis of line losses and the less efficient power plants and the financial burden will also be shared by the companies under a rational proportion.

The court also directed the federal government to provide a maximum subsidy to the domestic consumers of 500 units per month and to not demand extraordinary taxes “having no nexus with the consumption of energy which may be recovered through other modes”.

“The NEPRA authority must keep in mind while deciding about the tariff that interaction between the consumer and the producer should not be excited by the fiduciary relationship for the simple reason that to earn huge profit the performance of the producing company must increase and not the price be increased and, therefore, imposition of various taxes which can be recovered otherwise, amounts to economic strangulation of the consumers,” read the verdict.

Latest News

PTI and JUI (Sherani) decide to proceed by consensus.

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sherani) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have agreed to proceed together.

Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, the leader of JUI (Sherani), met with Barrister Dr. Saif, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Advisor.

The conference also included former senator Aslam Buledi and former federal minister Muhammad Ali Durrani.

The discussion focused on promoting reconciliation, political cooperation, and collective progress in the country. In addition, Barrister Dr. Saif read Fatiha and expressed sympathy for Maulana Sherani’s wife’s demise.

Barrister Saif recognized Maulana Sherani as a respected religious and political person, a senior member of parliament, and an expert in constitutional law during the meeting. He said that Maulana Sherani’s services are greatly valued by PTI founder Imran Khan and the party, and they hope he will play an active role in promoting trust, cooperation, and national reconciliation.

Maulana Sherani was invited to visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by Barrister Saif on behalf of KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani emphasized the importance of reconciliation in guiding the nation away from conflict and proposed that Muhammad Ali Durrani be instrumental in promoting this process.

Business

SFD and Pakistan Sign Two Deals Totaling $1.61BLN

Published

3 weeks ago

Farwa

Two agreements totaling $1.61 billion have been inked by Pakistan and the Saudi Fund for Development to improve their bilateral economic cooperation.

Entertainment

‘Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan’ is a new song teased by ISPR for Solidarity Day

Published

3 weeks ago

Farwa

A new anthem, “Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan,” was issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday (tomorrow) in honor of Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Every year on February 5, Kashmir Solidarity Day is commemorated to show solidarity with the people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir.

Renowned musician Ahmed Jahanzeb sings the song, which sends a powerful message of solidarity and dedication to the liberation fighters of Held Kashmir.

Imran Raza wrote the words, while Irfan Saleem and Kamran Khan composed the music.

The song was composed especially to commemorate the momentous day and to reaffirm support for the courageous and tenacious people of Kashmir, who are fighting for their right to self-determination, as guaranteed by the documents of united nations