Cabinet panel for abolishing two plots policy for SC judges, secretaries

ISLAMABAD: A cabinet committee --set up recently to review the policy of doling out plots to judges, bureaucrats, journalists and other influential on Thursday-- recommended to the government to do away with the policy of doling out two plots to Supreme Court judges and secretaries.

The cabinet committee, which was headed by federal minister Asad Umar- also recommended abolition of quotas for journalists and others. Sources said that the committee recommended only one residential plot for federal secretaries as well as judges of the apex court. It is also proposed that even in that case, the policy as adopted by the defence forces should be adopted where officers contribute monthly from their salary for the plot or house they are offered during service or upon their retirement.

It is also suggested that there should be one agency which alone should be given the mandate of plot allotments to civil servants and judges. This has been proposed to avoid the allotments of plots by different agencies owing to which a civil servant or a judge could get multiple plots from state land.

It is explained that a centralized mechanism would be adopted and a planned structure would be put in place to ensure no one among the civil servants and judges could get more than one plot through the contributory system as is done in the defence forces.

There will be no discretion available to anyone including the prime minister to dole out state land to favourites as has been happening in the past.

These recommendations would be forwarded to the cabinet through the ministry of housing for approval. The cabinet committee was constituted recently after the cabinet had shown its displeasure over the policy.

Credit goes to the IHC CJ Justice Athar Minallah, who in a landmark recent judgment, had suspended the allotment of plots to judges and bureaucrats and referred the matter to the government for reconsideration of the policy.

The federal cabinet had discussed the matter and, while agreeing with the decision of the IHC, had set up the committee to review the policy. The Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) recently allotted plots through balloting to judges of the high court and district courts, judges of the Supreme Court and bureaucrats.

Presently, only at the federal government level two residential plots worth millions of rupees are allotted to each judge of the Supreme Court and every BS-22 civilian officer. High court judges are allotted one plot each. Setting a good precedent, however, at least four apex court judges, including three presently serving and all judges of the present IHC, have not applied for even a single plot.

The allotment of plots to judges is not part of their terms and conditions as reflected in the Presidential Order, which under the Constitution envisages their pay, pensions, perks etc. Former CJP Jawwad S Khawaja had also refused to get any plot from the government while his colleagues got two each. In 2017, the revered former CJP had told The News that the policy of allotment of residential plots to a selected few enjoying influence is unfair and unjust but in case of judges of the superior judiciary it is not in accordance with the code of conduct.

The federal cabinet had found the IHC decision really encouraging as it had given impetus to the PTI’s thinking of saving state resources from distribution among influential groups.

Interestingly, the allotment of government lands to influential segments of society has never been backed by any act of parliament but through executive policies allegedly made under pressure.

The Public Accounts Committee had in 2012 already sought the discontinuation of the policy of allotment of agricultural land to army officers (except to the families of martyrs), the abolition of a plot quota for judges and journalists and the provision of only one plot to grade 22 officers. However, the policy was dumped and forgotten.

The PAC had also made critical comments against this culture of doling out plots to influential groups. The report had said: “Provision of plots of land by the executive to independent and impartial sections, like judges and journalists, would lead to allegations of partiality or bias in their working. Therefore, there should be no special quota or allotment of plots except for disabled, widows and families of martyrs.”

For federal government employees, the PAC had also suggested the launching of a DHA-like scheme so that officers contribute monthly, and on retirement can be allotted a constructed house or flat.