The Islamabad High Court on Monday restrained the Capital Development Authority from dispossessing residents of the luxury residential complex One Constitution Avenue and issued a stay order on appeals filed against the dismissal of earlier petitions.
Read More: One Constitution Avenue — another CDA scheme against the owners
A division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard intra-court appeals submitted by residents and other stakeholders challenging the cancellation of the project’s lease. The court directed the CDA not to take coercive action against the occupants until the next hearing.
During proceedings, residents’ counsel argued that apartment owners should be allowed to present their case before the CDA board and prove they were not involved in any irregularities linked to the project. Lawyers representing the residents maintained that subleases had been executed while the original lease remained valid and that the authority had received partial payments connected to the project.
Islamabad High Court Stops Eviction of One Constitution Avenue Residents
One Constitution Avenue has become the center of a major legal development after the Islamabad High Court restrained authorities from evicting apartment owners from the building. During the hearing, the… pic.twitter.com/yuwQhE4Iwt
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The CDA’s counsel contended that the Supreme Court’s earlier order regarding financial liabilities was public knowledge and questioned why buyers invested in what he described as a risky property project. He further informed the court that no completion certificate had been issued for the building.
Justice Minhas observed that authorities were aware of residents occupying the apartments and referred to previous housing scheme cases where occupants were not removed despite legal complications.
The dispute originates from a 2005 lease agreement for a five-star hotel project that later evolved into the One Constitution Avenue residential and commercial complex in Islamabad. The lease was restored by the Supreme Court in 2019 subject to strict financial conditions, including payments amounting to Rs17.5 billion.
Read More: IHC upholds One Constitution lease cancellation
Court records also revealed that hundreds of apartments in the project had been allotted to influential public figures, including former senior government officials, judges, and politicians, intensifying public interest in the case.