SHC disposes of petition over land allotment

SHC orders petitioner not to be disturbed until case is resolved.

KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) disposed of on Thursday a petition against the interference of a judicial officer, requesting the allotment of a 12,000-square-foot plot adjacent to a court in Gharo. The SHC ordered that the petitioner Shahida Parveen will not be disturbed until the case is resolved.

The bench had earlier heard the counsel for Parveen, a resident of Khaskheli Mohalla, who claimed ownership of the plot in Gharo, adjacent to the civil court, Mirpursakro, which she claimed had been in her possession for decades and was outside the premises of the civil court. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the judicial officer has stopped Parveen from construction on the land.

The presiding officer of the said court has no right to interfere, the counsel added. On Thursday, all revenue officials at the court explained their position with respect to the disputed land. The counsel for the petitioner was unable to produce any title document or allotment order to prove ownership of the property.

Meanwhile, the district and sessions judge also requested allotment of this plot. In its order, the bench said the DDO revenue had stated that the recommendation for the plot’s allotment had been made to the petitioner by the revenue mukhtiarkar. The bench gave the verdict that although the petitioner claimed ownership of the land for the last 30 years, she was unable to show any title document. Similarly, no document appeared to favour the allotment to the district and sessions judge.

The bench decided to allot a substitute plot of land to the petitioner. However, till the matter is resolved and the plot is allotted to either the judicial officer or the petitioner, the bench decided not to disturb the petitioner.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2010.