ISLAMABAD, May 20: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned identical appeals of two independent power producers, Spencer Powergen and the Rupali Power Limited, against the forfeiture of their performance bonds , at the request of the attorney-general of Pakistan on Wednesday.

The case was adjourned when Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan filed a written request before a three-member SC bench suggesting his unavailability due to other occupations.

The attorney-general had also requested to hear the case on June 9, but Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, who was presiding over the bench adjourned the case for date in office meaning thereby that the fixture branch would put the cases in the queue.

The Supreme Court during the last hearing on April 1 had clubbed the two appeals because of their identical grounds. In the case of Rupali, the appeal had been filed by the government seeking cancellation of a writ of mandamus issued by the Lahore High Court ordering refund of performance bond of Rs90 million.

Similarly in the case of Spencer Powergen, the appeal was moved from its Pakistani partner, Behram Avari, against a confiscation of his performance bond of Rs30 million by the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) and rejection of his appeal by the Sindh High Court.

Both the companies had failed to achieve a financial close within the specified period. During the hearing advocate Mohammad Akram Sheikh and Ali Zafar represented the Spencer Powergen and Rupali Power Limited, respectively.