HC asks UP govt to file counter affidavit over SAP

Allahabad, Nov 6 (UNI) The Allahabad High Court today asked the UP government and other respondent authority to file a counter affidavit in a writ petition, filed by west UP Sugar Mills association and others challenging the validity of State Advisory Price (SAP) fixed by the state government on October 18, 2008 for variety of sugarcane produce.

The Court did not grant interim relief to the petition mill association and the fixation of SAP. The court asked the state government to file counter affidavit in the case within ten days and fixed November 18, 2008 as the next hearing date.

This order was passed by a division bench, consisting of Justices S R Alam and Sudhir Agarwal. Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court Mukul Rastogi, appeared for the petitioners and Chief Standing Counsel M C Chaturvedi appeared on behalf of the state government and opposed the writ petition.

During the course of hearing of the case, the Judges were of the view that fixation of SAP is a priority matter of the state government and the government, has fixed the SAP after hearing all the concern. The state government by an order on October 18, 2008, has fixed SAP for variety of sugarcane produce for the crushing season 2008-09.

The plea of the petitioners counsel was that while fixing the SAP, the state government has failed to consider the aspect of the face that sugar mills were in huge loss during the last crushing season.

UNI VCP JAS SB AS2032