All ministries and divisions: PM to take action against officials who fail to file ICAs, CPLAs

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to take punitive action against those officials of the ministries/divisions who fail to file Intra Court Appeals (ICAs) and Civil Petitions for Leave to Appeal (CPLAs) within the stipulated period.

The Prime Minister Office (PMO) has conveyed prime minister’s instructions to all the ministries/division for prompt action.

According to the PMO, the prime minister observed during the Cabinet meeting held on August 2, 2024 that the ministries/divisions are not according due attention to the cases/appeals filed by litigants including government servants in various courts and tribunals against the orders of the authorities in all matters which is causing delay in disposal of these cases and administrative decisions of the federal government.

Court cases of FBR: PM directs authorities to hire ‘best’ lawyers

In particular appeals/petitions are not filed within stipulated time-limits, which result in cases becoming time-barred, thereby causing irretrievable loss to the government.

Foregoing in view the PM directed that: (i) all ministries/divisions shall develop a Case Management System (on the lines of FBR) for tracking cases/ appeals filed by litigants, to be updated regularly; (ii) the cases/ appeals must be pursued/followed up vigorously in the concerned courts and Tribunals till their final outcome in coordination with the Ministry of Law and Justice; and (iii) ICAs/CPLAs must be filed before the competent forums within the stipulated period, failing which responsibility shall be fixed and punitive action shall be taken against the defaulter.

Following the Prime Minister Office letter, Chief (Legal-1) FBR, Asma Hoori has also sought information on such cases from all the ministries.

According to her, it has come to the knowledge of the FBR that the prime minister has issued directions to all the ministries/divisions regarding FBR’s tracking system called Litigation Management System (LMS). In this regard, several ministries have contacted the FBR.

The sources said to address these inquiries and provide a comprehensive understanding; the Legal Wing-IR of Federal Board of Revenue has organized a joint session of all the ministries and divisions, meant to include an overview of the LMS dashboard, for a demonstration of the system and question answer session.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024