The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued the written judgment, rejecting the appeals filed by the sugar mills owners against the formation of inquiry commission and its report, said 24NewsHD TV channel.

In a 52-page verdict, the two-member bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb said the sugar millers’ appeals were not based upon merit and added that attorney general had stated that it was the federal cabinet which decided to induct an additional member.

The interior ministry, the judgment read, had withdrawn the first notification regarding the inquiry commission formation on the very next day.

According to the detailed verdict, the federal cabinet had directed the interior ministry to form the sugar inquiry commission immediately. However, the issuance of the related notification took six days.

This validation of the sugar inquiry commission came just a day after the Sindh High Court (SHC) quashed its report terming it illegal.

On Monday, a two-member SHC bench, headed by Justice KK Agha, its verdict noted that the notification pertaining to the formation of the sugar inquiry commission was illegal.

The court mentioned eight reasons for nullifying the report and observed that the sugar commission failed to follow the rules of the business. The commission's constitution was incomplete, biased and denied the petitioners the opportunity to be heard.

But the court did not restrict the authorities from proceeding against sugar mill owners and directed the NAB, the FIA and FBR to conduct separate and independent investigations and without any reference to or reliance on the report.