SC annuls LHC decision on FPA in power bills.

ISLAMABAD -- The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday overturned a Lahore High Court (LHC) judgment declaring illegal the practice of applying the fuel price adjustment (FPA) to monthly electricity bills.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa proclaimed the LHC ruling 'impractical both constitutionally and legally' while hearing an appeal of the power distribution companies (DISCOs) against the decision.

The bench noted that the Appellate Tribunal of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) was the appropriate authority to handle this intricate matter and not the LHC.

It directed the petitioners to file an appeal before the Nepra Appellate Tribunal within the next 10 days.

The tribunal, in turn, was directed to expedite the hearing and reach a decision within the statutory timeframe.

During the proceedings, Advocate Salman Akram Raja, representing the DISCOs, argued that the formation of Nepra itself was unconstitutional when the FPA was initiated in May 2022.

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CJP Isa challenged this stance, emphasising that if there were constitutional concerns about Nepra's formation, they should have been addressed separately.

Justice Athar Minallah, the other judge on the bench, clarified that neither the SC nor any other court had jurisdiction over the technical matters of Nepra.

The LHC decision, in this context, was perceived...