A big blow for the Punjab government, as the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday declared the Ravi Urban Development Amendment Ordinance null and void, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Pronouncing the decision, Justice Shahid Karim also ordered the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) to repay the loan to the Punjab government it had borrowed from it.
The LHC noted that the agricultural land could only be acquired by following the relevant law. “However, in this case, the law dating back to 1894 was violated. Furthermore, the master plan of the RUDA was prepared without consulting the local government. “Therefore, not only the ordinance is illegal but also the notification for acquirement issued under section 4,” says the court.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) had, on November 6, 2021, stopped the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) from acquiring more land for its flagship project till further orders as farmers had challenged the 127-year-old Land Act of 1894.