The Supreme Court sought the federal government’s new policy for the allotment of plots to the employees.

A three-judge special bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, on Tuesday, heard two petitions, which were filed by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders dated August 20, 2021, and September 13, 2021.

The IHC, on September 13, 2021 suspended the allotment of 4,723 plots in Islamabad’s two new sectors, including 1,704 plots, measuring one kanal each, allotted to senior bureaucrats and top judges, by a federal government housing authority in August 2022.

Advocate Akram Sheikh, representing the FGEHA, argued that according to the IHC, the judges after obtaining plots do not remain impartial and due to the plot-allotment process, the whole judiciary would be destroyed.

Justice Bandial inquired from Akram Sheikh that is it your stance that the IHC by taking suo moto of the matter had passed the orders. The counsel contended that the IHC orders became newspaper headlines that the judges are the beneficiaries of balloting in Islamabad sectors. He said the IHC should not have raised fingers at the dignity of the superior judiciary, adding the IHC chief justice should have been careful.

Justice Bandial remarked that the IHC orders mention the district judiciary. He asked the lawyer that through your arguments, it seems that the media has presented the orders in a way to show that the whole judiciary is beneficiary of the plots’ allotment. The judge said the judges speak through their judgments, adding judiciary is fulfilling its responsibility.

Justice Mansoor asked the FGEHA to focus on the case and to point out the error in the IHC orders. He said the judges are not the federal government employees, adding that the Intra-Court Appeal judgment regarding the matter is reserved before the IHC.

Akram Sheikh said due to the IHC orders, the FGEHA has become non-functional.

Justice Mansoor said when the government has framed new policy then what the problem is.

Justice Bandial asked the counsel to file all the documents related to the case.

The case was adjourned for an indefinite period.

The story was originally published in Business Recorder on January 12, 2022.