LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Thursday directed the registrar office to present complete record of a 2016 summary regarding mutation of a piece of land measuring 50 kanals owned by the court in favour of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The chief justice observed that a letter of the registrar circulated on the social media about the land transfer had no legal value. He said the land of the LHC could not be given to anyone through an order of the chief justice but it required a decision by the seven-member administration committee.

It merits mentioning that at a previous hearing, Chief Justice Khan had lashed out at the DHA for illegally occupying the lands of the people and lamented that the authority even took over a land owned by the LHC.

Next day, the chief justice had taken notice of a social media post by Lahore Development Authority’s legal counsel Amir Saeed Rawn, which contradicted remarks of the court about the 50-kanal land of the LHC occupied by the DHA.

The letter written by the LHC registrar bearing a date of 2016 directed the then district coordination officer of Lahore to get the land measuring 50 kanal situated at mauza Sangatpura mutated in favour of the DHA and the land measuring 65 kanal in mauza Phularwan mutated in favour of the LHC.

During Thursday’s hearing, Chief Justice Khan observed that the FIA took no action against the malicious campaign against the judiciary as an institution.

He further feared that there would be a law of the jungle if disrespect of the institutions continued.

“The people would prefer picking up guns instead of approaching courts for justice once their trust in the judicial system is shaken,” the chief justice remarked.

A counsel of the DHA sought time to file a detailed reply on the matter and the chief justice adjourned further hearing for next week.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2021