LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the district and sessions judges concerned to verify whether three sugar mills of the ruling Sharif family were in operation in violation of a stay order issued by the Supreme Court.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing intra-court appeals filed by Chaudhry Sugar Mills and others, challenging a single bench order that had in October 2016 stopped shifting of the mills in cotton-growing areas of south Punjab.

JDW Sugar Mills of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Secretary General Jahangir Tareen and other mills had challenged the shifting of the mills that belonged to the Sharif family. However, a division bench had suspended the single bench decision.

JDW sugar mills approached the Supreme Court against that order and the apex court suspending cane-crushing at three sugar mills – Chaudhry Sugar Mills (Rahim Yar Khan), Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills (Muzaffargarh) and Ittefaq Sugar Mills (Bahawalpur) — remanded the matter to LHC with a direction to decide the pending appeals.

As Chief Justice Shah took up the appeals on Tuesday, counsel for respondents stated that the stay order issued by the apex court on Feb 9 last was not being complied with and the three sugar mills were still operational and carrying out manufacturing activities.

The chief justice observed: “We want to be fully satisfied that the order of the august Supreme Court of Pakistan is being implemented in letter and spirit.”

The bench deputed D&SJs of the relevant districts to immediately visit the three mills and seal their manufacturing process if these units were found operational in violation of the stay.

The bench ordered the district police officers concerned to render full support to the sessions judges in completion of the task. It also directed the senior-most officers of provincial industries department in the districts concerned to assist the D&SJs on technical aspects during the inspection.

The sessions judges had been directed to submit their reports within three days. The bench decided that the main case would be heard on a day-to-day basis from Feb 20.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2017