A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily suspended the Sindh High Court (SHC) verdict declaring the constitution of the sugar inquiry commission and its report illegal. The sugar inquiry commission was set up on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan to investigate the reasons behind the soaring price and shortage of the commodity in the country and made its report public in April.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mushir Alam, was hearing a petition against the SHC ruling filed by the federal government last week. The center argued that the high court, in its verdict, had quashed the notification of the commission's constitution on purely technical grounds.

During the hearing, Justice Ijazul Ahsan asked why were experts of different fields not included in the commission? Attorney General (AG) Khalid Jawed Khan responded that the purpose of the commission was not to suggest a punishment but probe the matter, and further investigation in the matter would have been held by the relevant departments.

SC issued notices to all respondents including 20 different sugar manufacturers and adviser to prime minister Shahzad Akbar while temporarily suspending the SHC's verdict.

The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.