The Lahore High Court has dismissed a petition regarding unannounced electricity and gas load-shedding, terming it baseless and vague, and imposed a fine on the petitioner.

According to details, Justice Khalid Ishaq of the Lahore High Court issued a 15-page written order on the petition related to load-shedding of electricity and gas.

The court imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on the petitioner for filing the case without first approaching the relevant forum.

The court observed that the petitioner had alternative legal remedies available but chose to directly approach the High Court. It further noted that no concrete evidence or proper grounds were provided regarding load-shedding, tariff issues, line losses, or policy matters.

The judgment stated that complex energy sector issues fall under the jurisdiction of executive and regulatory authorities, not the judiciary. The court emphasized that public interest litigation is an important legal tool but must be used responsibly and not for personal publicity or with mala fide intent.

The court added that petitions based on assumptions, false claims, or incomplete facts cannot be entertained as public interest litigation, and judicial intervention is only appropriate where fundamental rights are clearly violated.

It also noted that the petitioner falsely claimed in a certificate that he had approached the relevant forum earlier, which was proven incorrect.

The court ordered the petitioner to deposit the fine in the Lahore High Court Bar Dispensary and submit the receipt to the Deputy Registrar within 45 days.