A division bench of Justice Zafar Rajput & Justice Faisal Kamal at the High Court of Sindh (SHC) Thursday heard a petition in which the petitioner said the ‘Copyright Board’ has not been functional for a period of over 05 years.
In the petition the petitioner said that in the absence of a Copyright Board, which is an Appellate Authority, a substantial number of matters bearing utmost importance, remain unattended.
The court, while taking strict cognizance of the matter had previously ordered the Secretary of Ministry of Law & Secretary of Ministry of Commerce to be present in court, in person and explain the delay being caused in the establishment of a Copyright Board.
However, in the hearing on 18-11-2021, their failure to provide any reasonable justification deeply concerned the bench and the Judges have remarked this to be an example of ‘bad governance’. They further provided a final opportunity of three weeks to ensure that the Board is made functional.
Talking to the press after the hearing, the petitioner counsel said that the issue of ‘Copyright Board’ being nonfunctional for over 05 years was a travesty of justice for all legitimate businesses and also damaged Pakistan’s reputation on an international stage.
