SC dismisses petition against daily hearings of ephedrine quota case

LHC had directed the anti-narcotics court to fix daily hearings and decide the case by July 21

The country’s top court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed against a Lahore High Court (LHC) order to conduct daily hearings in the ephedrine case.

A Supreme Court (SC) bench led by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed heard the petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi, who is a nominated in the case, seeking dismissal of LHC directives to conduct daily hearings.

Observing that since the counsel for Abbasi had consented to the ruling, Justice Saeed decided against retracting the order and directed the petitioner to file a challenge order in LHC.

However, Abbasi’s counsel, Kamran Murtaza, denied tendering consent in the matter. He also requested the apex court to halt the case until the LHC ruling was clarified.



Case history

The case involves illegal allocation of ephedrine quotas worth Rs7 billion to two pharmaceutical companies – Berlex Lab International and Danas Pharmaceutical. Other than Abbasi, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Ali Musa Gilani and former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin are accused in the case.

Abbasi was booked in the case (41/2012) registered under sections 9(c), 15 and 16 of the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997. The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Lt Colonel Syed Tauqeer Abbasi Zaidi posted at the Anti-Narcotics Force’s Rawalpindi directorate police station. The applicant submitted that he was avoiding arrest as the case against him was registered with mala fide intent.

On July 11, LHC had directed the anti-narcotics court to fix daily hearings for the case and pass judgment by July 21.