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LAHORE, Dec 26 (APP):The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday overturned the decisions of deputy commissioner-led committees that had granted possession of properties in multiple land dispute cases.
LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum passed the orders while hearing petitions filed by Rana Saleem Latif, Muhammad Ali, and others challenging the actions under the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act 2025.
The court held that deputy commissioners and commissioners have no authority to unilaterally take away or restore possession of properties, particularly when such matters are pending before civil courts. It clarified that under the law, the power to decide property disputes rests with designated tribunals, not deputy commissioners.
The LHC emphasized that the key issue before the court was not ownership of the properties, but whether deputy commissioners were legally empowered to issue such possession orders.
The court suspended the implementation of all possession orders issued by the committees and referred the matter to a full bench for further hearing, which is yet to be constituted.
Earlier, on December 22, the LHC had also suspended the enforcement of the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act 2025 and announced the formation of a full bench to hear and decide the matter.