By Abid Usman
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday rejected a plea against the sealing of Monal Restaurant on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Last month, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration sealed Monal Restaurant, which is built in Margalla Hills National Park area.
At the out of the hearing, Makhdoom Ali Khan, the lawyer of Monal Restaurant said that the IHC had ordered to seal the restaurant without recording the evidence.
The Capital Development Authority and the hotel administration already fighting the case in the civil court and the CDA sealed the premises without the issuance of the written order from the Islamabad High Court, the lawyer added.
Khan pleaded with the court to nullify the orders of the IHC. Justice Ijazul Ahsan said we cannot overturn the verdict of the Islamabad High Court at present and served the notice to the federal government and respondents in the court and adjourned hearing of the case until next week.
In January, Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued orders for sealing the iconic restaurant while hearing a case of encroachment in Margall Hills National Park. The chief justice earlier questioned the status of the Monal, “How it was built, it should not have been constructed,” the top judge remarked.
“It should be sealed if the lease of Monal has lapsed,” the chief justice said. The court ordered chief commissioner Islamabad to seal the restaurant immediately.
“No one is above the law. I know how the court orders are enforced,” he had said.
