ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has formed a three-member bench to review the petition filed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) regarding the restoration of the One Constitution Avenue project plot.
The bench, consisting of CJP Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Ayesha Malik, is scheduled to hear the case on Thursday, as per the roster issued by the Registrar’s Office of the Supreme Court.
As per the details, the CDA had revoked the lease of the 13.5-acre plot allocated to the private firm BNP in July 2016 due to numerous violations and irregularities.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld the CDA’s decision.
However, in 2019, a Supreme Court bench comprising then Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Ahsan, and Justice Faisal Arab reinstated the lease, ordering the private firm to pay the CDA Rs17.5 billion.
Under the 2019 verdict, the developer was required to make installment payments totaling Rs. 17.5 billion over eight years.
The company initially paid the first installment of Rs. 1.7 billion but later failed to fulfill its commitment.
In February of this year, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) instructed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate the non-payment of the amount.
Subsequently, in March, the CDA once again canceled the lease of the plot.
It is worth mentioning that the “One Constitution Avenue” project, initiated by BNP, has been embroiled in controversies since the plot was auctioned in 2005.
The CDA auctioned the 13.5 acres for Rs. 4.8 billion and handed over possession to the company after receiving only Rs. 800 million that same year.
By 2016-17, the civic agency had received only Rs. 1.02 billion of the remaining amounts.
Source: DAWN
