SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN
(Appellate Jurisdiction)
Bench-V:
Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah
Mrs. Justice Ayesha A. Malik
Civil Petition No.3506 of 2020
(Against the order of the High Court of Sindh,
dated 11.11.2020, passed in M.A. No.45/2020)
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) through its
Chairman & another
...…. Petitioners
Versus
M/s ARY Communications Private Limited (ARY Digital) through its Chief
Executive Officer & another
……. Respondents
For the petitioners:
Mr. Shahid Mubeen, ASC.
Barrister Haris Azmat, ASC.
Barrister Hamza Amjad.
Barrister Fauzia Asad.
(Through video link from Lahore Registry)
Mr. Tahir Farooq Tarar, Head Legal,
Mr. Mohsin Hameed Dogar, Dir. (Legal), Mr.
Muhammad Jalal Haider, L.O.
Hafiz Muhammad Junaid, D.D.
(Regulations), PEMRA.
For the respondents:
Barrister
Barrister
Barrister
Barrister
For the Federation:
Malik Javaid Iqbal Wains, Addl. A.G.
Mr. Kashif Zaman and Mr. Imran Haider,
Representatives of Ministry of Information
& Broadcasting, GoP.
Research Assistance by:
Ms. Fareeha Aziz, Co-Founder, Bolo Bhi.
Date of hearing:
24.11.2022 (Judgement Reserved)
Abid S. Zuberi, ASC.
Agha Ali Durrani.
Shahreen Chughtai.
Arif Ansari.
JUDGEMENT
Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, J.- The main question of law that
requires determination in the present case is: whether Section 27(a) of the
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2002 (“PEMRA
Ordinance”) is an independent and self-governing provision or whether its
applicability requires the opinion of the Council of Complaints in terms of
Section 26(2) of the PEMRA Ordinance read with the Pakistan Electronic
Media
Regulatory
Authority
(Councils
of
Complaints)
Rules
2010
(“Councils of Complaints Rules”). The case also necessitates some