LAHORE Lahore High Court Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed Wednesday remarked that courts would not tolerate negligence of the authorities on the question of enforcing fundamental rights of the masses. The court was hearing a petition filed by one Imran Ghazi against hike in the sugar prices through short supply of this commodities to the market and ultimately fixing the same at Rs 72 per kg in the retail market. After hearing the petitioner counsel, Muhammad Azhar Siddique advocate, the court also issued notice to the federal and the provincial governments on an application which alleged, the govt intentionally did not check the profiteers during the recent sugar crises and this matter may also be taken into consideration. The applicant has presented a number of press clippings with the plea to establish his stand and has prayed to the court to also make the same part of the court record. During the course of hearing last day, petitioner counsel said government moved to action to control sugar price in the market only after the court took cognisance of the matter. He contended that the government appeared fixing the sugar price at Rs 72 per kg which was much more than what the Supreme Court had fixed last year. The shortage and the consequential hike in sugar price, he said, was a manipulated act to ultimately fix the rate at Rs 72 as well as to frustrate the SC order. This fact speaks volumes of malafide on the part of the government, he said praying to the court to take action against all those who were responsible for this crisis. The counsel also invited attention of the court to the fact that as many as 72,000 sugar bags were recovered from various points after the court took note of the problem. He said the court notice and the redressal of the public grievances proved that judiciary was independent in the country and alive to the problems of the public. He said the poor masses would lose the last resort to get relief, if the authorities slighted the courts and did not act according to their orders. The court remarked on that no countenance would be given to the infringement of fundamental rights of the citizens and the same would be strongly protected. The court put off further hearing of the matter till November 30 next.