SC declares Gutter Baghicha’s 200-acre land allotment to KMC Society illegal

• SC orders KMC administration to evacuate encroached plots on Gutter Baghicha land immediately.
• CJP Ahmed observes land could only be allotted for educational, religious, and welfare purposes under laws.
• Says KMC can't allot land directly or indirectly to its employees.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) ordered immediate evacuation of the encroached plots on 200 acres land of Gutter Baghicha, while declaring the allotment of land to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Employees Cooperative Housing Society illegal, The News reported Wednesday.

The order came during a hearing on the Gutter Baghicha case headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed at SC's Karachi registry on Tuesday.

CJP Ahmed observed that the land could only be allotted for educational, religious, and welfare purposes under the laws.

"The KMC had allotted 80% of 200-acre land of Gutter Baghicha to its employees," the CJP said.

At this, the counsel representing the KMC contended that over 300,000 people reside in the society were pleading with the court to reconsider the decision for the sake of widows and their children living there.

He claimed that the pension the residents get was not sufficient for them to build their houses.

“The KMC doesn't have the authority to allot land directly or indirectly to its employees,” CJP Ahmed remarked.

The court canceled the allotment of Gutter Baghicha land and directed the Karachi administrator to remove the encroachments established upon the plots immediately.