The Supreme Court of Pakistan halted the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision ruling the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project unconstitutional on Monday.
The Supreme Court has granted the Punjab government permission to continue working on the project.
The Supreme Court stated that while the government can continue to work on sections of property where payments have been received to the owners, no development activity can be done on ground where payment is still due.
Previously, the Punjab government had petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the LHC’s decision in the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project case.
In its petition, the provincial administration claims that all norms and procedures were followed prior to the start of the project. The petition asked the court to overturn the high court’s decision.
It is worth noting that the LHC halted the government’s Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project by ruling various parts of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) Act 2020 unlawful.
Justice Shahid Karim, while announcing a reserved judgement on several petitions, also deemed the purchase of agricultural land for the project unlawful and a violation of individuals’ fundamental rights.