LHC expresses strong displeasure over LDA appeals against lower court allotment decisions

The Lahore High Court has expressed strong displeasure with the Director General of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Tahir Farooq, over the authority’s practice of approaching the High Court against allotment-related decisions of subordinate courts. The Court ordered the DG LDA to conduct a thorough scrutiny of all cases pending before the High Court.

Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh, while hearing a petition relating to the supervision of the LDA, strongly criticised the conduct of the DG LDA. During the hearing, DG LDA Tahir Farooq appeared before the Court along with his law officers and continued to offer explanations; however, he failed to satisfy the Court.

Addressing the DG LDA, Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh remarked: “What is the LDA doing to the citizens? After twenty years, people’s properties are suddenly being declared disputed.”

The Court questioned the legal status of allotment letters issued by the LDA and asked whether such letters provided any legal protection to citizens’ rights.

Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh further observed that the LDA neither files timely replies nor raises objections before subordinate courts, but once conflicting judgments are passed by two courts, it directly approaches the High Court. The Court noted that such non-serious litigation should be dismissed with high costs.
The Court told the DG LDA: “You have been summoned because these cases are finalised with your approval.”

The Court directed the DG LDA to seriously review all similar civil cases and to re-examine unnecessary and non-serious litigation, and to inform the Court accordingly.

During the hearing, DG LDA Tahir Farooq stated that the LDA had initiated scrutiny of 160,000 properties, of which verification of 90,000 properties had already been completed. He added that in case of any litigation arising after the scrutiny, the responsibility would lie with the LDA, and that all relevant data was available on the LDA’s website.

In response, Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh remarked: “This is your city, and you are its custodian. Despite allotment issues, the citizens remain the real owners of these properties.”

Expressing concern, the Court observed that people had constructed homes on these plots on the basis of allotment letters and questioned what would happen to those helpless citizens now residing there.

Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh told the DG LDA: “I am not here to listen to a sermon; I want practical steps.”

The Court directed the DG LDA to constitute a committee to seriously review all pending cases of this nature and warned that any non-serious case brought before this Court would be dismissed with heavy fines.

Upon the request of the DG LDA for two weeks to scrutinise the pending cases, the Court granted the request and adjourned further proceedings for two weeks.