Petitioner challenges housing societies law

Petitioner maintains permission required from provincial govt for a re-contest if society taken over under section 6.

KARACHI: The Sindh secretaries of law and cooperative societies were put on notice for November 1 by a division bench of the Sindh High Court in a petition challenging section 14A of the Sindh Cooperative Housing Authority Ordinance 1982 which bars office bearers from contesting elections immediately after a society is taken over under section 6 of the ordinance.

The petition was filed by Syed Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, a former president of a cooperative housing society.

The petitioner maintains that under section 14A, permission is required from the provincial government for a re-contest. The section is in violation of Articles 8, 25, 62, 63, 65 and 113 of the Constitution of Pakistan besides fundamental rights and is therefore ultra vires, the counsel for the petitioner contended. According to an order available here on Wednesday, the bench, admitting the petition for regular hearing, ordered issuance of notices to the secretaries.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2010.