Naya Nazimabad project: SHC restrains DC West from issuing notices in press

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday restrained deputy commissioner West from issuing public notices in the press with regard to the Naya Nazimabad project till further orders. The interim order came on the petition of Javedan Company against issuance of public notices to print media by the DC West relating to Naya Nazimabad project.

Petitioner's counsel Haider Waheed submitted in the petition that the petitioner was the owner of the 1,366 acres land situated at Manghohpir area which had been purchased from the Privatization Commission. He submitted that the petitioner had launched a residential and commercial scheme on the subject land in the name of Naya Nazimabad after obtaining all requisite permission/NOCs from the relevant authorities. The counsel submitted that the DC West has been creating hurdles on different pretexts with regard to the subject land of the petitioner by issuing various notices which has been assailed in the SHC and the court restrained the government functionaries, including DC West, from taking any coercive action against the petitioner’s project till further orders.

He submitted that despite an interim stay order in favour of the petitioner was still in the field and DC West did not file comments in subjudice matter of the petitioner’s project, the DC West has now started issuing public notices in different newspapers against the petitioner’s project maligning the petitioner and attempting to reach out to petitioner’s clients and general public. He submitted that the DC West has no authority to issue such types of public notices in the press when the matter was already subjudice before the court, pointing out that the language used in the public notice was defamatory and aimed to curtail the petitioner’s right to profess business and trade.

The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, after preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to land utilization department, DC West and others and called their comments on May 21 and in meantime restrained DC West from issuing public notices to the press with regard to the Naya Nazimabad project till further orders.