LDA, police summoned on building owner’s plea
Petitioner says police ignoring earlier orders for FIR on his complaint.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday summoned the Johar Town police station house officer (SHO) and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director Athar Ali on a petition asking the court to direct the police to register an FIR against the officials responsible for a botched demolition operation in which four labourers were killed.
Petitioner Mian Shahid Mehmood, who owned the building, submitted through his counsel Aftab Ahmed Bajwa that the police had not registered a case based on his complaint, despite an earlier order for them to do so.
He submitted that District and Sessions Judge Mujahid Mustaqeem Ahmed had ordered the police to register a case against four LDA officials Director (Buildings) Akram Chaudhry, Director (EME) Abdul Razzaq, Deputy Director (Town Planning) Azhar Ali and Assistant Director (Town Planning) Afraz Akhtar the Johar Town SHO, the DSP concerned and 10 other police officials who were involved in the operation. Instead, he said, the police had registered an FIR based on an LDA official’s complaint in which the petitioner had been named as a suspect.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that the building in question had been approved by the authority and hence the demolition operation of September 23 was illegal. He said that his client’s son had showed officials documents including a court stay order against the demolition and the approved building plan, but to no avail. He said the demolition operation was conducted without any legal authority. He said that the officials should be held responsible for the death of the four labourers.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2011.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday summoned the Johar Town police station house officer (SHO) and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director Athar Ali on a petition asking the court to direct the police to register an FIR against the officials responsible for a botched demolition operation in which four labourers were killed.
Petitioner Mian Shahid Mehmood, who owned the building, submitted through his counsel Aftab Ahmed Bajwa that the police had not registered a case based on his complaint, despite an earlier order for them to do so.
He submitted that District and Sessions Judge Mujahid Mustaqeem Ahmed had ordered the police to register a case against four LDA officials Director (Buildings) Akram Chaudhry, Director (EME) Abdul Razzaq, Deputy Director (Town Planning) Azhar Ali and Assistant Director (Town Planning) Afraz Akhtar the Johar Town SHO, the DSP concerned and 10 other police officials who were involved in the operation. Instead, he said, the police had registered an FIR based on an LDA official’s complaint in which the petitioner had been named as a suspect.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that the building in question had been approved by the authority and hence the demolition operation of September 23 was illegal. He said that his client’s son had showed officials documents including a court stay order against the demolition and the approved building plan, but to no avail. He said the demolition operation was conducted without any legal authority. He said that the officials should be held responsible for the death of the four labourers.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2011.