ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict, which had declared the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) illegal.

 

The court ordered the Punjab government to resume work only on that portion of the project’s land, whose payments have been made to the owners. The court also issued notices to the parties, making it clear that the work can be carried only on that sites whose owners have been paid for their land.

 

The court observed that it will figure out if intra-court appeals against the LHC verdict are maintainable or not. “If the appeals are found to be maintainable, then the case will be forwarded to the LHC,” the court ruled. During the preliminary hearing, the court noted that the LHC had referred to the US laws during the hearing of Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project case, despite there was a difference in situations in the US and Pakistan.

 

Earlier on January 25, the LHC had declared the RRUDP illegal while announcing the verdict on the pleas challenging the project. The LHC had declared several provisions of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) Act 2020 unconstitutional. However, the Punjab government challenged the LHC verdict before the apex court seeking its nullification.