The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday referred 18 more petitions filed against actions taken under the Punjab Property Ownership Act to a full bench after objections were removed, and has issued a stay order while seeking the complete record of proceedings carried out by the committees.

Chief Justice of the LHC Justice Aalia Neelum, heard the petitions including that of Abu Bakar. Advocate Shahid Rana and other lawyers appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Justice Aalia Neelum observed that tribunals were supposed to be established under the Act with powers related to possession, but the notification for the tribunals was issued after two and a half months. She questioned under which law the committees continued handing over possession during this period.

The Chief Justice asked Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar whether the relevant provision of the Act was being implemented, which states that if a matter is pending before a civil court, the deputy commissioner must file an application before that court, and the court is bound to transfer the case to the tribunal.

She further remarked how possession was being handed over verbally without written orders, asking whether such verbal instructions would be acceptable even if issued by a court without a formal order.

The Chief Justice questioned whether the tribunals had actually started functioning, noting that there was neither staff available nor clarity on where the tribunals would be........

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