LAHORE, Aug 21: A full bench of Supreme Court on Tuesday warned Punjab Irrigation Department officials that they could be put behind the bars if they failed to provide water to the land of a petitioner.

The bench comprised Justice Falak Sher, Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jillani and Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed.

“Don’t tell me about technicalities, merit or law. Does the petitioner not have any right to water,” Justice Falak Sher asked the law officer, assisting the court.

Muhammad Yasin, a resident of Kamonki, Gujranwala, had moved the court through a petition seeking water for his agricultural land. He had submitted the irrigation officials were not providing him with water through the relevant channel.

The judge asked the petitioner to apprise the bench through his counsel whether he would like to have water through the channel of his choice or simply wanted to make sure that he got it anyway.

The petitioner said he wanted water for his 11.5 acres of land irrespective of the water channel.

When the sub-divisional officer concerned tried to explain to the court the procedure and official requirements for provision of water, Justice Falak Sher asked him how he would feel if his salary, along with that of his superiors’, were to be blocked.

The bench refused to grant 15 days to the department for the provision of water and instead gave them a week for the purpose.

The bench ordered the officials would ensure supply of water to the petitioner’s land till Monday and inform the law officer that they completed the task.

Otherwise, the bench ordered, it would take legal action against the divisional canal officer and the superintendent engineer (canal) concerned, along with the SDO, for non-compliance of the order. The court also ordered the SDO to take the petitioner along for a survey of the water channel after providing his land with water.