The policy of allotting multiple plots of land to top bureaucrats and judges of the superior judiciary has been declared illegal by the Islamabad High Court.
The court noted that judges of superior courts were only entitled to benefits mentioned in the 1997 Presidential Order, as well as the rights outlined in Schedule 5 of Article 205 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has also directed the government to formulate a policy in accordance with the law on the allotment of additional plots to serving and retired judges as well federal secretaries to the government.
The court order also noted that, “the Federation of Pakistan has to answer all these issues through legislative instruments in clear, non-discriminatory manner so that confidence of citizens of Pakistan is restored in the entire system of governance.”
Justice Kayani of the IHC was hearing petitions of Jurist Foundation challenging the government’s decisions of 2006 and 2008 to allot additional plots to bureaucrats and judges of the superior judiciary, respectively, as well as to two former bureaucrats, Abu Akif and Asma Shahzad. According to the petition, a summary for allotment of plots to bureaucrats was approved by the then prime minister on June 27, 2006 which was against constitutional provisions.
