IHC stops eviction of One Constitution Avenue apartment owners

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restrained authorities from evicting apartment owners at One Constitution Avenue until further orders.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas took up intra-court appeals filed by several sub-lease holders, including Mujahid Anwar Khan, Ehsan Mani and Wasim Sajjad.

Advocates Taimur Aslam and Ali Raza appeared on behalf of the appellants, while Advocate Kashif Ali Malik represented the Capital Development Authority.

The petitioners challenged paragraph 30 of an earlier single-bench verdict related to the protection of third-party rights in the One Constitution Avenue case.

Last month, IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar upheld the Capital Development Authority’s decision to cancel the lease of the multi-storey building.

In a detailed judgment issued on May 4 following proceedings held on April 30, the chief justice dismissed petitions filed by the project developer while disposing of separate petitions submitted by investors.

The court observed that the developer had failed to comply with financial conditions imposed by the Supreme Court, particularly regarding non-payment of the 2022 instalment.