- Justice Jawad deems petition infructuous as impugned order had already been rescinded.
- Punjab govt tells court the competent authority had reversed termination decision.
RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Monday disposed of a constitutional petition challenging the termination of a contract for the procurement of electric buses after the Punjab government withdrew the impugned termination order.
Justice Jawad Hassan passed the order while hearing a petition filed by a contracting company against the Punjab government and other relevant departments. The petitioner had approached the court after the provincial authorities terminated a contract awarded for the supply and operation of electric buses under a public transport project.
At the outset of the hearing, counsel for the Punjab government informed the court that the competent authority had reviewed the matter and decided to withdraw the termination order. The law officer placed on record official documents and correspondence showing that the earlier termination notice had been formally rescinded.
In view of this development, Justice Jawad Hassan observed that the primary grievance raised by the petitioner no longer survived. The court noted that since the termination order – the subject matter of the petition – had already been withdrawn, the petition had become infructuous. Accordingly, the court disposed of the matter while leaving all legal questions open in accordance with law.
According to the petition, the contracting company had challenged the termination on the grounds that it was unlawful, arbitrary and issued in violation of the terms of the contract as well as the principles of natural justice. The petitioner contended that it had fulfilled its contractual obligations and that the termination was effected without lawful justification or an opportunity of being heard.
The petitioner further maintained that the termination caused serious financial loss and adversely affected its business reputation. It had requested the court to declare the termination illegal, restore the contract, and restrain the authorities from taking any coercive action against the company.
Court records show that the contract pertained to the procurement and deployment of electric buses as part of the Punjab government’s initiative to introduce environmentally friendly and sustainable public transport. The project aimed to improve urban mobility while reducing carbon emissions through the use of electric vehicles. During earlier hearings, the LHC had sought replies from the Punjab government and the relevant departments and kept the matter pending to examine the legality of the termination.