LHC Chief Justice Takes Hard Line on Illegal Land Occupation

The petitions against the actions under the Property Ownership Act were heard by Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Justice Alia Neelam.

The citizen who obtained possession under the Property Ownership Act also reached the court. The court ordered the immediate return of possession to the citizen who obtained possession through the DRC committee.

The Chief Justice asked the lawyer of the citizen who had taken possession, how can you defend what is wrong? To which the lawyer said, “We admit that the committees formed on DCs exceeded their powers.” To which the Chief Justice said, “First return the possession, then we will talk later.”

Justice Alia Neelam said, “Why not initiate action against these committee members? The lawyer himself is admitting that the DCs exceeded their powers. If the Patwari had worked on time, this issue would not have arisen. This will happen when the system is bypassed.”

The lawyer said, “If the system does not provide justice, where should we go?” To which the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court said, “Don’t start a dialogue here to post news stories. It is a fact that cases are not decided here. Don’t talk emotionally. I know how many old cases there are here.”

The petitioner said that opponents are occupying 40 acres of property in Deepalpur, and the DRC committees gave us possession in 27 days.

The Chief Justice asked, “Who was supposed to pass this order?” The committee’s order of possession is misbehavior, to which the lawyer said, “I believe that the DCs gave the wrong decision.” The Chief Justice said, “You yourself say that they did not have the authority to act under the law.”

The lawyer requested that you instruct the DC to listen to us and make a decision. The DC cannot decide if the decision is someone else’s. The issue before me is not whether you are the owner of the property or not. The issue before me is whether the DCs have the authority to make a decision or not.

The petitioner’s lawyer said that after the ordinance was suspended, possession of a one-acre property in Gujranwala was given on December 24. If anyone takes possession after the court order, they should be prepared for the consequences.

The Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court sent the application to the full bench, seeking the record of the DRC committee.