LHC reduces fine amount for Ruda

LAHORE : The Lahore High Court has reduced the amount of fine imposed on the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) for repeatedly filing similar applications against stay on the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project and also changing its counsel.

On August 31, Justice Shahid Karim verbally imposed Rs500,000 fine on the Ruda in the presence of its chief executive officer, Imran Amin, in the court. In the written order of that hearing, the judge observed that various anomalies have crept in the filing of these applications. Firstly, they seek the same relief and this cannot be permitted, secondly, these have been filed by a new counsel who did so without permission of this court and without compliance of the requirements of Order III CPC in this regard, thirdly, these applications could not in the ordinary course be fixed during summer vacation and it is not known as to how they were got fixed.

Advocate Salman Alam Khan was present in the court along with the Ruda CEO.

The Ruda counsel sought permission to withdraw the applications. “Dismissed as withdrawn with a cost of Rs100,000 to be paid in the Lahore high Court Bar dispensary,” said the written order released on Saturday. On the petitions filed by the farmers and landowners, the judge stayed the process of land acquisition for the riverfront project.