PM Shehbaz Sharif to Take Action Against Officials for Delayed Court Filings

Desk

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced plans to take disciplinary measures against officials from ministries/divisions who fail to submit Intra-Court Appeals (ICAs) and Civil Petitions for Leave to Appeal (CPLAs) within the designated timeframe.

Instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have been distributed to all ministries/divisions to ensure prompt compliance with the Prime Minister’s directives.

During a Cabinet meeting on August 2, 2024, the Prime Minister expressed concerns that the ministries/divisions were not adequately attending to cases/appeals filed by litigants, including government servants, in various courts and tribunals. This negligence has been causing delays in the resolution of these cases and administrative decisions by the federal government.

Specifically, appeals/petitions are not being filed within the specified time limits, resulting in cases being time-barred and causing irreparable financial loss to the government.

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In response, the Prime Minister has directed the following actions: (i) all ministries/divisions must establish a Case Management System (similar to FBR) to track cases/appeals filed by litigants and keep it updated regularly; (ii) vigorous pursuit and follow-up of cases/appeals in the relevant courts and tribunals in coordination with the Ministry of Law and Justice; and (iii) timely filing of ICAs/CPLAs, with punitive action to be taken against defaulters.

Following the PMO’s letter, Asma Hoori, Chief (Legal-1) of FBR, has requested information on such cases from all ministries.

She mentioned that the FBR has been made aware of the Prime Minister’s directives to all ministries/divisions regarding FBR’s Litigation Management System (LMS). As a result, several ministries have reached out to the FBR.

To address these inquiries and provide comprehensive insight, the Federal Board of Revenue’s Legal Wing-IR has arranged a joint session for all ministries and divisions. This session will include an overview of the LMS dashboard, a demonstration of the system, and a question-and-answer session.