ISLAMABAD: The lawyer who filed the petition against the allotment of more than one plot to top bureaucrats and the judges of the Supreme Court has sought reward under Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Act.

Under the act the competent authority can award 20pc of plundered amount to the whistleblower after recovery.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared on Aug 27 that the policy of allotment of additional plots was illegal.

IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, however, did not cancel the allotment of 602 plots to 44 serving and retired judges of the superior courts and federal secretaries.

However, the court referred this matter to the federal cabinet for taking decision on cancellation of additional plots already allotted to judges and the bureaucrats.

In its order on Aug 27, court had declared allotment of additional plots to judges, bureaucrats illegal

The lawyer Riaz Hanif Rahi filed an intra court appeal (ICA) against the said order.

IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamer Farooq took up the appeal.

The lawyer Rahi argued that single member bench has partially allowed the petition and instead of setting aside the additional plots and remanding this case to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the judge simply referred this to the cabinet.

Rahi adopted before the court 602 additional plots worth Rs45 billion were allotted to the judges and the top bureaucracy which should have been forfeited.

He requested the court to issue direction to the government for paying the petitioner 20pc of the cost of these plots.

The bench admitted the intra court appeal for hearing and issued notices to the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) and other respondents.

A nongovernmental organisation Jurist Foundation has challenged the government’s decisions of 2006 and 2008 for allotment of additional plots to the bureaucracy and the superior judiciary respectively in the government housing schemes.

According to the petition, a summary for allotment of plots to the bureaucrats was approved by the then prime minister on June 27, 2006 which is against the constitutional provisions.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

A hasty retreat
Updated 28 Nov, 2024

A hasty retreat

Govt should not extend its campaign of violence against PTI and its leaders, thinking it now has the upper hand. Enough is enough.
Lebanon truce
28 Nov, 2024

Lebanon truce

WILL it hold? That is the question many in the Middle East and beyond will be asking after a 60-day ceasefire ...
MDR anomaly removed
28 Nov, 2024

MDR anomaly removed

THE State Bank’s decision to remove its minimum deposit rate requirement for conventional banks on deposits from...
Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...