The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to demolish illegal chambers of lawyers built on the Football Ground, footpaths and greenbelts in Islamabad
Headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, an apex court bench upheld the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) verdict and turned down lawyers’ plea to stay the demolition until an alternative place is provided for their chambers.
Over the course of the hearing, the chief justice asked on what basis should the court halt demolition of the illegal chambers. “Lawyers have no claim on the football ground. Those who want to practice [law] should have their offices built somewhere else,” he remarked.
A lawyer said that several courts are also built on the ground, to which the chief justice ordered that these courts should also been pulled down.
Justice Gulzar offered to give lawyers two months’ time to vacate the ground. However, advocate Hamid Khan said that the demolition be halted until they move to a new high court building.
At the previous hearing, the SC had restrained the CDA from demolishing the illegal chambers. The lawyers had expressed willingness to submit an undertaking to vacate the land once construction of the lawyers’ complex was completed.
