Varsity vs bar: Order to hand over judicial complex to PU suspended
The controversy over handing over the judicial complex building in Jehlum to the Punjab University is to be decided by the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC).
Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Tariq of the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench on Wednesday suspended a notification of the Punjab government, which demanded that the under-construction judicial complex be handed over to the PU.
The decision was challenged by five lawyers and two office-bearers of District Bar Association (DBA) Jehlum, along with some locals who had provided the land for construction of the judicial complex in 2005. About 90 per cent work on the building has been completed.
Advocate Saeed Yousuf Khan, representing the petitioners, contended that construction of the judicial complex was initiated under the Access to Justice Programme to replace the 160-years-old building of the district courts.
He said that the land was acquitted for the purpose of establishing the judicial complex and under law if that purpose is not served the land should be returned to its actual owners.
The project of construction of the judicial complex in Jehlum district was initiated in collaboration of the LHC and Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan. Funded by the Asian Development Bank, Rs390.199 million was allocated for the project, for which 260 kanals land was acquired at a cost of Rs16.617 million. A total of Rs286.901 million was spent by the end of 2010 to complete 90% work on the complex.
However, in November last year that the elected representatives of Jehlum sent a summary to Punjab chief minister for starting PU’s Quaid-i-Azam Campus in the new judicial complex building. Following the summary, the Punjab government issued notification to hand over the building to the PU.
The petitioners have termed the move “politically motivated” and prayed to the court to set aside the notification of Punjab administration and allow functioning of judicial complex in the building.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2011.
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We do not have proper court rooms. Converting a judicial complex to some other building will definitely add fuel to fire and people will have more difficulties.