Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum has declared null and void the decisions of committees headed by deputy commissioners in 10 districts of Punjab regarding the handing over of possession of properties.
The chief justice issued the ruling on Friday after hearing petitions filed against the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025, under which committees headed by deputy commissioners had been empowered to decide property disputes.
During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that had patwaris performed their duties in time, such problems would not have arisen.
Rejecting the perception that civil cases remain pending for long periods, she said that she is fully aware of how old the pending cases before the courts are.
The chief justice made it clear that commissioners and deputy commissioners have no authority on their own to take away or restore possession of properties, and questioned how many laws the government intends to ignore.
She expressed regret that despite this, deputy commissioners issued orders to end possession while matters were already pending before civil courts.
A resident of Depalpur, who had been granted possession under the new law, also appeared before the court; however, the chief justice ordered him to surrender possession.
The citizen’s lawyer admitted before the court that the committee headed by the deputy commissioner had exceeded its powers.
The chief justice observed that when the lawyer himself accepts that the deputy commissioner exceeded his authority, action can be taken against the members of the committee.
The lawyer argued that if people do not get justice from the judicial system, where should they go, and informed the court that the dispute resolution committee had delivered possession of the property within 27 days.
At this, the LHC chief justice barred the lawyer from making sensational statements for headlines and issued strong remarks.
The chief justice said that a deputy commissioner cannot issue such a decision because the power to decide rests with the tribunals established under the new law.
She clarified that the real question before the court is not whether the petitioners are owners of the property, but whether deputy commissioners had the authority to make such decisions.
The chief justice suspended the implementation of the orders issued by the dispute resolution committees regarding possession and referred the petitions for further hearing to a full bench, which is yet to be constituted.
Rana Saleem Lateef, Muhammad Ali and others had approached the court against the decisions of the dispute resolution committees set up in 10 districts.
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