Supreme Court sits on 3,496 monetary litigations worth Rs97 billion

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Yahya Afridi has revealed that around 3,496 tax and other monetary-related litigation cases worth Rs97 billion were pending for adjudication.

Chief Justice Afridi chaired a meeting with high-ranking officials of the Federal Board of Revenue, tax experts, and industry representatives at the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

According to a handout, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi expressed concern over losses to the national treasury due to prolonged tax litigation.

He also formed a five-member committee led by the Supreme Court’s registrar to address pending monetary and tax-related cases.

Also read: Whopping increase in house rent, allowances for judges approved

The session was attended by the FBR chairman, the Attorney General for Pakistan, secretaries of the law and finance divisions, representatives of the Supreme Court Bar Association, officials from chambers of commerce, overseas investors, parliamentary representatives from both government and opposition, including Salim Mandviwala and opposition Senator Mohsin Aziz attended the meeting.

Chief Justice Afridi highlighted the negative impact of tax disputes on the national kitty, noting that pending financial cases across various judicial forums have accumulated significantly.

According to the statement, Chief Justice Afridi underscored the need to curb unnecessary financial litigation in the Supreme Court, urging stakeholders to prevent excessive interim orders and delays in tax cases.

Emphasizing the need for a unified approach, he called on both the government and bar associations to work together to reduce the backlog of financial cases.

To support these efforts, the Chief Justice established a five-member committee led by Supreme Court Registrar Muhammad Saleem Khan, which includes tax experts Asim Zulfiqar and Imtiaz Ahmed Khan, a senior FBR representative, and tax expert Sher Shah Khan as coordinator. The Attorney General, Mansoor Usman Awan, and the finance secretary will also assist the committee.

This committee will offer strategies to expedite case resolutions and prioritise pending financial cases which is critical to Pakistan’s economic growth.