IHC orders demolition of illegal law chambers

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday ordered demolition of illegal chambers of lawyers built on a playground in Sector F-8.

The verdict was announced by a larger bench, headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and comprising Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. A 30-page judgment, written by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, said that the chambers were "illegal, void and without jurisdiction and authority”. The court noted the record showed that office-bearers of the Islamabad District Bar had “allotted plots to lawyers for construction of private chambers in 2017, but the bar had not obtained any permission or authorisation from authorities”.

The court ordered the bar members to clear the illegal construction and restore the playground for public use. The order states the ground is situated next to a commercial area where the administration of the Islamabad Capital Territory had rented privately-owned buildings more than four decades ago for establishing the district courts. "The playground was encroached upon and construction has also been made by a few enrolled layers for building their private chambers," it observed.