FGEHA land acquisition verdict due today

SC to decide case of land acquisition from locals on cheaper rates

ISLAMABAD:

After a passage of eight months, the Supreme Court will announce the long-awaited judgment on acquisition of land by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) in sectors F-14 and F-15 from locals on cheaper rates.

In 2017, the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) incumbent Chief Justice Athar Minallah had decided the petitions filed by the locals against the acquisition of their land by FGEHA and asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to take over the development of housing schemes in the areas and to judiciously dispense the plots after developing the two sectors.

The high court had also scrapped a federal government housing scheme in sectors F-14 and F-15 of the federal capital. Judges, powerful bureaucrats, influential lawyers and journalists were amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme.

Later, a division bench of the IHC dismissed appeal filed by FGEHA against the verdict.

The matter was then taken up by the Supreme Court as former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar allowed an appeal against the high court division bench’s order and suspended the high court's rulings.

However, as many as six judges of the top court recused themselves from hearing the case for different reasons. Of the six judges, at least three judges preferred not to adjudicate on the matter as they had applied for plots in the scheme.

According to the FGEHA’s list of applicants and allottees, available on its website, seven of the serving judges of the apex court had applied for plots in the scheme.

A four-judge special bench, led by Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Umar Ata Bandial while comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Ijazul Ahsan reserved judgment on January 14.

Hassan Mann Advocate, who pleaded this matter on behalf of affectees of land acquisition at the IHC, said the real issue is that the land is being acquired for benefit of a privileged class. However, this land could fetch more than Rs500 billion to exchequer, if auctioned on commercial basis.

He said: “This is a case concerning public revenue. Instead of generating revenue for public exchequer, the FGEHA is usurping the sovereign privilege of eminent domain to line the pockets of its members.”

The beneficiaries of FGEHA scheme are serving or retired officers and employees of federal ministries, divisions, attached departments… judges of the superior courts – the SC, all high courts, Azad Kashmir Supreme Court and the Chief Court and the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federal Shariat Court, he said.

The advocate continued that the beneficiaries also include serving and retired employees of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, public sector corporations under the control of federal government, journalists, media workers, lawyers, employees of housing authority, Ministry of Housing and Works and constitutional bodies.