RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court granted interim relief to Murree Brewery Company Limited on Wednesday and asked the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency to explain delays in notifying revised environmental quality standards for the ethanol and distillery industry.
Interim relief was awarded in favor of the Murree Brewery Company Limited at the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court Wednesday after ordering that the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency provide an explanation as to why updated environmental quality standards for the ethanol and distillery industry have not been announced.
Murree Brewery Challenges EPA Standards
The defense lawyer representing the brewery, Malik Qamar Afzal, submitted to the court that his client had made heavy investments in environmentally-friendly technology like a thermophilic biomethanation sewage plant, zero discharge policy, renewable energy plants, and reforestation programs. The aggressive position taken by the EPA went against the spirit of the Punjab Environmental Protection Act of 1997.
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Justice Hassan held that there is no way that the petitioner may claim both the constitutional jurisdiction and the statutory remedy that it had earlier availed against the Site Monitoring Report dated 24th August, 2024, and the Environmental Protection Order dated 19th December, 2025, pending before the Punjab Environmental Tribunal, Rawalpindi under Section 22 of the Act.
Regarding the primary issue concerning the PEQS, the court considered the Chemical Analysis Test Report, which reveals that the effluent discharged by Murree Brewery has a Chemical Oxygen Demand of 953 mg/L and Sulphide content of 0.8 mg/L, which prima facie comes under permissible limits according to the very standards adopted by the EPA.
Justice Hassan ordered Murree Brewery to submit a comprehensive report covering its effluent treatment plant, capital expenditure on environmental compliance, ISO certifications, sustainability audits, and carbon reduction initiatives. “Environmental compliance is not a one-time exercise,” the judge stated from the bench.
Economic Contribution Comes Under Spotlight
The court also took judicial notice of Murree Brewery’s contribution to the national economy through export earnings, tax payments, and employment. Citing precedents in Saudi Pak Industrial and Agricultural Investment Company Limited versus Chenab Limited and Allah Ditta versus DCO, Justice Hassan underlined that courts cannot ignore economic realities when enforcing environmental obligations.
The bench issued notices to all respondents returnable by June 22, with directions to file para-wise comments and a comprehensive report within ten days. A senior EPA officer must appear at the next hearing to account personally for the delay in notifying the revised PEQS. The court stayed coercive action against the brewery until that date but made clear that environmental compliance carries no exemptions.
