A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, also clarified that the court's previous orders that were passed in respect of new leases and allotments of lands in the city were not applicable to the journalists' society. The bench, also comprising justices Qazi Faiz Isa and Faisal Arab, was hearing a petition filed by the Karachi Press Club (KPC), at the SC's Karachi Registry.
SC irked over illegal allotment of land
Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, the lawyer of the petitioner, said the government had allotted plots to the journalists at Hawke's Bay. However, the authorities of revenue and land utilisation department were not processing the requests for issuance of lease, allotment orders and site plans since March 2016 under the pretext that the apex court had imposed a ban on fresh leases and allotments.
Ahmed said the authorities were misinterpreting the court's order because the KPC members were allotted these plots many years ago while the SC's directives were in respect of the fresh leases and allotments.
Therefore, the court was pleaded to direct the provincial chief secretary, the revenue secretary, land utilisation department secretary and other respondents to process applications of the KPC members.
It was further requested to direct the respondents to process KPC members' applications for issuance of lease, allotment and possession, as well as site plans in respect of their plots, at the earliest.
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