ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday summoned Additional Director General Tariff, NEPRA, and Secretary Ministry of Energy and Power Division to appear before the court and assist with respect to the process applicable for the determination of uniform tariff. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial conducted hearing of the K-Electric appeal against the Sindh High Court (SHC) judgment, wherein the Corrigendum dated 22-01-2020 related to tariff policy was quashed. The short order, dictated in the court, said, “We would like to ascertain SRO575 which has given the uniform tariff to industrial consumers of K-Electric has been settled by NEPRA or as contended by the K-Electric counsel that it is done by the government.” The SHC on 28-09-2020 declared the corrigendum illegal, void, and issued in excess of authority and hence quashed. The K-Electric was asked to charge the tariff from its industrial consumers as per the left hand column (K-Electric Tariff of SRO 575(I)/2019 dated 22-05-2019 as determined vide determination dated 05-07-2018 in respect of variable ‘off-peak hours’ charges, and right hand column (Uniform Tariff) in respect of variable ‘peak hours’ charges as long as subsidy for ‘peak hours’ provided through SRO 12 I/2019 dated 01-01-2019. Haider Waheed, counsel for the industrial consumers, said only NEPRA can amend the tariff and not the government. The government can’t withdraw subsidy given to the industrial consumers earlier. He further submitted that K-Electric is not sending them bills in accordance with the SHC judgment. Justice Ayesha Malik said that you (consumers) enjoyed the benefit of subsidy, but when it was withdrawn your client challenged it before the High Court. The counsel replied that they have challenged the withdrawal of subsidy by the government retrospectively. The subsidy could not have been withdrawn without the determination by NEPRA under Section 31 of Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997 Advocate Abid S Zuberi, representing K-Electric, submitted that the impugned judgment in itself is contradictory as on the one hand SRO No. 810(I) /2019 has been upheld whereas the corrigendum dated 22.01.2020 which is a ministerial act that merely implements SRO No. 810(I)/2019 has been set-aside.