LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has reduced the amount of fine imposed on the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) for repeatedly filing similar applications against stay on the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project and that too through new counsel each time.

On Aug 31, Justice Shahid Karim verbally announced Rs500,000 as fine on the Ruda in the presence of its chief executive officer Imran Amin in the court.

In the written order of that hearing, the judge observes that various anomalies have crept in the filing of these applications. Firstly, they seek the same relief and this cannot be permitted, secondly these have been filed by a new counsel who has done so without permission of this court and without compliance of the requirements of Order III CPC in this regard, thirdly, these applications could not in the ordinary course be fixed during summer vacation and it is not known as to how they were got fixed.

Advocate Salman Alam Khan (the original counsel) was present in the court along with the Ruda CEO. The counsel had sought permission to withdraw the applications.

“Dismissed as withdrawn with a cost of Rs100,000 to be paid in the Lahore High Court Bar dispensary,” says the written order released on Saturday.

On the petitions filed by farmers and landowners, the judge stayed the process of land acquisition for the riverfront project. The judge had also taken notice of violations of the environmental laws in the project.

website: A civil court has restrained the Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums) from using the name of its former female faculty member who has not been given extension in the service contract allegedly for complaining about harassment by a male colleague.

Dr Samia Altaf in a damages suit of Rs67 million against the Lums, said the non-renewal of her contract was an act of reprisal for reporting two specific incidents of sexist hostility and harassment against the male colleague.

She claimed that these incidents were the culmination of aggressive, discriminating and misogynistic behaviour displayed by the suspect in almost every encounter she had with him in the almost eight weeks leading to these incidents. Both Dr. Samia and the suspect were members of the Lums Health and Safety Committee.

Plaintiff’s counsel Jannat Ali Kalyar asked the court to restrain the institution from using the name of her client on its website to further its financial interests and attributing the institution’s health and safety policies to her as they were made in her absence.

Civil Judge Ahsan Safdar issued notices to the defendant institution for Sept 7 and restrained it from using the name of the plaintiff on its website.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2021