PESHAWAR: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday declared the allotment of plots to judges, bureaucrats and government employees ‘unconstitutional’.
The research judgment was announced by a two judge bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. Declaring such allotment unconstitutional, the verdict said that plot allotment in F12, G12, F14 and 15 schemes are not only “unconstitutional but illegal and against public interest.”
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The high court judgment ruled that the land of the state is not for elite judges, bureaucratic, public officer holders but for public interest. “The public office holders cannot formulate policies for personal gain against the public interest,” the judgment said. “Federal Government Employees Housing Authority cannot make any scheme against the constitution.”
The court directed the Secretary Housing to submit the judgment to the federal Cabinet within two weeks and said that the Cabinet and the Prime Minister are expected to formulate a policy in the public interest on all the four sectors.
Hearing another case relating to ban on the small video sharing site TikTok, the chief justice remarked that hate speech in the name of freedom of expression should not be allowed. The court sought report from judicial aides on petitions against social media rules. Senior journalist Hamid Mir also appeared in court and submitted a report as a judicial assistant.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the society could be further improved through better access to information. The court adjourned further hearing of the case till March 7.