Daily Times

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday summoned a detailed report on the land acquisition for the Supreme Court Bar Association Housing Society (SCBAHS) in six weeks.

A four-member bench of the apex court’s Lahore Registry, headed by Chief Justice Nisar, heard the case pertaining to the construction of the housing society for the legal fraternity.

During the court proceedings, the CJP inquired about the progress in land acquisition for the housing society.

It was told that steps were being taken to acquire land for the society.

Chief Justice Nisar remarked: “The court orders are not being implemented strictly.” He directed authorities concerned to not take the land of any person who is unwilling just to make lawyers happy. “We shouldn’t get complaints that land was taken forcibly,” the top judge asserted.

“It seems as if the Islamabad administration was is with lawyers, which is why they are using delay tactics,” observed Chief Justice Nisar.

Moreover, the Supreme Court Bar Association president told with the court that a sum of Rs 5 billion had been collected for the housing society, adding that 8,200 kanal was needed for the society.

On November 21, an Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench, headed by Justice Athar Minallah, had issued a stay in respect of a Land Acquisition Collector (LAC) notification on October 28, 2016 for acquiring land for the Supreme Court Bar Association Housing Society (SCBAHS).

The petition, which was filed by the Government Officers Cooperative Farming Society, through their counsel Saeed Khurshid Ahmed, had stated that the SCBAHS had acquired 8,194 kanal and 15 marlas in Mouza Tamma and Mohrian situated in Zone-IV of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) in contravention of the Land Acquisition Act 1984 (LAA), and due procedure of law.

Published in Daily Times, June 15^th 2018.