LAHORE, March 26: An application was filed on Friday in the Lahore High Court with a prayer to stay the proposed auction of 26 shops and a restaurant at the Liberty Park and Ride Plaza.

The lawyer said during the pendency of the main writ petition, the LDA with a mala fide intention published an advertisement on March 15, 2011, in newspapers and thereafter floated different advertisements intending to sell out shops in the disputed project and proposed a restaurant situated at the first floor of the plaza.

He said whether this project was for the public purpose or otherwise could be gauged from the contents of advertisements which showed that this was purely a commercial project and as claimed in the petition was build on an amenity plot with a huge investment of public money.

The applicant said this money might be used for some public purpose including building of homes for homeless persons whose homes were destroyed during the recent flood or for improving the education standard.

He requested the court to stay the proposed auction of shops till a final decision on the main petition.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed will take up this application on Monday (tomorrow) while the auction is set for March 31.