Karachi’s Moon Garden may be demolished as Supreme Court rescinds stay order

The fate of Karachi’s Moon Garden residential building hangs in the balance as the Supreme Court revoked its stay order on Wednesday. 

The Supreme Court was hearing an appeal against the high court’s verdict to demolish the building.

The builder’s lawyer said that the court ordered Abdul Razzaq Khamosh to submit a guarantee of Rs100 million. “We wanted to file a review petition against the court order but it was never taken up,” he said. “I still have the Rs20 million pay order with me,” he added.

Related: SC overrules Moon Garden demolition order

Justice Azmat Saeed said that he thinks that the building should be demolished. “There was no implementation on the court orders for four years,” he said.

The lawyer said that many people are currently residing in the building. “People have been living there since the last 20 years,” he remarked.

We are no longer sympathetic or interested. The court orders have been turned into a joke, said Justice Saeed.

Railway Cooperative Society lawyer Faisal Siddiqui said that the high court had ordered that portion of the building to be demolished which was built illegally. “No one is living on that side of the building,” he told the court.

Related: SHC upholds order to seal Moon Garden apartment

Justice Saeed that the court will not hear any appeal related to the case now. The case has been adjourned indefinitely.

The Moon Garden is an apartment located in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar. It comprises at least 180 leased flats. Pakistan Railways says the land belongs to it.

The Sindh High Court issued orders to vacate and demolish the residential building. In 2015, the Supreme Court overruled SHC’s verdict and ordered Khamosh to submit Rs100 million surety.

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Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/03/karachis-moon-garden-building-may-be-demolished-as-supreme-court-rescinds-stay-order/