Land mutations: ‘No new entries until lost records restored’
Supreme Court bars Board of Revenue from issuing fresh land titles
KARACHI:
The Supreme Court has restricted the Sindh Board of Revenue from issuing any new land mutations until it retrieves the records lost during the arson of December 2007.
The order came on Wednesday as the apex court resumed the follow-up hearing of the Karachi suo motu case. During its lengthy proceedings last year, the court had noted that land grabbing was one of the major reasons behind violence.
On Monday, the apex court had called a written explanation from the senior member of Board of Revenue, Shahzar Shamoon, as to why land record that was torched in riots after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto had not yet been restored after five years.
The record of 800 dehs was lost in arson attacks that affected 11 districts in Sindh, the officer told the judges, adding that 72% of the lost record has been recompiled while work to re-write the remaining is under way.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim - who initiated work on land registration during his tenure as a high court judge - questioned why the entire record was not reconstructed because similar record is always available with the Central Record Office (CRO) in Hyderabad.
As Shamoon did not even know who headed the CRO, the judges wondered if the officers serving in government departments were competent enough.
Declaring illegal the government’s policy of granting 99-year lease of state land to citizens, the apex court ordered that no fresh leases would be issued until the lost records are retrieved. The judges also directed the revenue official to bring the record of all entries made during the past five years to court.
Rangers report rejected
The Rangers’ common practice of picking up suspects without any warrants drew the ire of Supreme Court judges, who termed the practice illegal and in violation of the rights of the citizens.
The judges were sceptical about the improvement in law and order situation of Karachi, observing that the fundamental rights of citizens must be protected by the law enforcement agencies while operating “within the four corners of law”.
Rejecting the third consecutive report by Rangers on the suspects detained and handed over to police, the judges termed it an “eye wash”. “If any suspect takes this list to court, he will definitely be released the second moment,” observed Justice Amir Hani Muslim, who specialises in crime cases.
The judges pointed out that the FIRs against the suspects were registered too late. Rangers director-general Maj. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar said the paramilitary force was only delegated powers to search and arrest suspects but could not prepare charge-sheet against them.
The bench wondered that its earlier suggestion of establishing separate police stations for Rangers had not been considered by the authorities.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2012.
The Supreme Court has restricted the Sindh Board of Revenue from issuing any new land mutations until it retrieves the records lost during the arson of December 2007.
The order came on Wednesday as the apex court resumed the follow-up hearing of the Karachi suo motu case. During its lengthy proceedings last year, the court had noted that land grabbing was one of the major reasons behind violence.
On Monday, the apex court had called a written explanation from the senior member of Board of Revenue, Shahzar Shamoon, as to why land record that was torched in riots after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto had not yet been restored after five years.
The record of 800 dehs was lost in arson attacks that affected 11 districts in Sindh, the officer told the judges, adding that 72% of the lost record has been recompiled while work to re-write the remaining is under way.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim - who initiated work on land registration during his tenure as a high court judge - questioned why the entire record was not reconstructed because similar record is always available with the Central Record Office (CRO) in Hyderabad.
As Shamoon did not even know who headed the CRO, the judges wondered if the officers serving in government departments were competent enough.
Declaring illegal the government’s policy of granting 99-year lease of state land to citizens, the apex court ordered that no fresh leases would be issued until the lost records are retrieved. The judges also directed the revenue official to bring the record of all entries made during the past five years to court.
Rangers report rejected
The Rangers’ common practice of picking up suspects without any warrants drew the ire of Supreme Court judges, who termed the practice illegal and in violation of the rights of the citizens.
The judges were sceptical about the improvement in law and order situation of Karachi, observing that the fundamental rights of citizens must be protected by the law enforcement agencies while operating “within the four corners of law”.
Rejecting the third consecutive report by Rangers on the suspects detained and handed over to police, the judges termed it an “eye wash”. “If any suspect takes this list to court, he will definitely be released the second moment,” observed Justice Amir Hani Muslim, who specialises in crime cases.
The judges pointed out that the FIRs against the suspects were registered too late. Rangers director-general Maj. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar said the paramilitary force was only delegated powers to search and arrest suspects but could not prepare charge-sheet against them.
The bench wondered that its earlier suggestion of establishing separate police stations for Rangers had not been considered by the authorities.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2012.