High Courts Have No Suo Motu Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that high courts had no suo motu jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jan, 2023 ) :The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that high courts had no suo motu jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution.

The eight-page judgment authored by Justice Ijazul Ahsan also set aside the judgment of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) which had given directions for forming a committee to review prices.

The PHC had ordered the provincial government for establishing a committee to determine the prices of livestock and poultry products.

The apex court judgment stated that the high court could not devise a formula for pricing as it went against the principle of trichotomy of powers envisaged under the Constitution.

The prayer of the respondent was essentially limited to the pricing of products but the high court passed a series of suo motu orders.

The court order stated that the PHC in its orders had imposed a ban on the export of dairy and poultry products.

The order stated that banning imports or exports of products was not the domain of the courts but fell under the exclusive domain of the executive.