The Sindh High Court (SHC) has imposed a fine on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for submitting frivolous review applications regarding a previous court order.
A two-judge bench of the Sindh High Court, led by Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar and Justice Agha Faisal, imposed a Rs. 25,000 fine on the national flag carrier for filing meritless review applications.
The court dismissed these applications, deeming them frivolous, and directed that the fine be deposited into the SHC clinic’s account. The PIA challenged interlocutory orders from the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) in 2022, but the SHC rejected these petitions in November 2022.
The bench observed that the petitioner had filed review applications in January 2023, beyond the allowable period for such actions. The petitions were dismissed as the Industrial Relations Act (IRA) 2012 does not provide for appeals of interlocutory orders and cannot be challenged in writ jurisdiction.
The applicant’s lawyer argued that Section 58(2) of the IRA allows for challenging interlocutory orders but could not provide the relevant statute. The bench read the relevant provision to the lawyer, but he could not identify any supporting elements in the statute to back his argument.
The bench noted that the SHC’s review jurisdiction was restricted, with the lawyer’s arguments focusing on the merits of a dismissed case rather than identifying any clear errors. Consequently, the court deemed the applications frivolous and without merit, ordering them dismissed with a cost of Rs25,000 each to be deposited in the Sindh High Court Clinic account.