Punjab revenue directed to expedite land cases

FCC concerned by decades-long delays in proceedings

ISLAMABAD:

The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has directed Punjab's revenue authorities to expedite long-pending land consolidation proceedings, laying down guidelines for the timely disposal of cases and warning that prolonged administrative delays undermine property rights and lead to further litigation.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan expressed concern over decades-long delays in proceedings initiated in 1979.

In a three-page order authored by the chief justice, the court set aside a Lahore High Court (LHC) judgment in a land matter and issued directions to the Punjab revenue authorities, particularly the senior member of the Board of Revenue, to ensure the expeditious conclusion of pending proceedings.

"Prolonged administrative inaction not only perpetuates uncertainty regarding ownership and possession but also occasions financial hardship and multiplicity of litigation. The revenue authorities are, therefore, under a statutory obligation to exercise their powers diligently, fairly and expeditiously, ensuring that valuable property rights, protected under Article 23 of the Constitution, are not rendered illusory through unwarranted delay," the order said.

"The record reveals that proceedings initiated in 1979 have remained embroiled in successive administrative and judicial proceedings for several decades. Such protracted litigation defeats the very object of consolidation, namely, rationalisation of landholdings and certainty of proprietary rights," the order stated.

The court directed the Punjab revenue authorities to conclude consolidation proceedings expeditiously, within the prescribed statutory timelines or, where no such timelines exist, within a reasonable period. It also directed that unnecessary adjournments and administrative delays be avoided, with reasons recorded for any unavoidable delays.