Land grabbers acting like 'vultures': SC

[LahoreEstate]

By: Sajid Zia | Published: May 23, 2009
LAHORE - Hearing a case Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday of the Supreme Court Saturday came down hard on the land mafia, which is acting like ‘vultures’.
It is bad luck of the nation that such ‘vultures’ are prone to lay hand on every thing which they say, should be with them without caring for law and courts. It’s misfortune that such vulture rampant in the country, the Judge said hearing the case of Abdullah, etc. The Bench, also comprising Justice Fakir Muhammad Khokhar, referred the matter to the Member Board of Revenue with the consent of the parties for the settlement of their dispute over the possession of land in Rajanpur.
The petitioners had questioned order of the Collector, Colonies, which gave each one square of land to Muhammad Khadim and Muhammad Asghar in lieu of that the latter had originally acquired under the Kundi Estate Scheme as old tenants but the same went into Red Zone (Municipal Area), hence had to be surrendered. The petitioner contended through senior advocate Ch Amir Hussain that the Collector had in fact given their land to the respondents, without any lawful reason. They said they had acquired land through an agreement in 1979, from Tayyab Baig and Anwar Baig who got the same under influence at that time, but the land remained in name of the latter despite the fact the petitioners had applied for its transfer to them.
The petitioners alleged that the respondents also forcibly tried to get possession of the land in 1994 whereof an untoward incident took place which came into the then Chief Minister notice upon which a case was registered against over 200 persons.
Justice Ramday said the Court would not be impressed by the fact that a case was registered against so many people therefore the matter is decided in their favour. As to terming orders of the higher authorities as void by the lower ones, the judge said, if that is permitted to carry on a chaos would grip the country and the time would come when even the SC order would not be respected.
The Judge prima facie found the whole fishy business and ‘fraud’ in the whole matter and said, the land mafia hovers like ‘vultures’ which stoop low where they smell something for them. The Court remanded the case to MBR to examine the matter afresh. The parties consented to the remand order.

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