KARACHI, July 2 Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has taken a suo motu notice of the construction of a department store on the Webb Ground in the Lines Area and issued notices to relevant parties for appearance at the principal seat of the Supreme Court at Islamabad on July 7.

A petition involving the issue was dismissed by a division bench of the Sindh High Court on Sept 19, 2008 ex parte.

It was moved by former area councillor Mahfoozun Nabi in September 2007, but the division bench that initially heard it and also passed a restraint order against the respondents made the non-governmental organisation Shehri-Citizens for Better Environment a co-petitioner for assistance.

According to the respondent defence ministry, the land belonged to the Army Welfare Trust, which leased it out to Makro-Habib for the construction of a department store.

Other respondents issued notices by the SC are the city government, the Lines Area Re-Development Project, the Karachi Building Control Authority and the Sindh Environment Department.

The notice by the CJ was taken following an appeal made by Ardeshir Cowasjee in his weekly column in Dawn on May 14 for looking into the manner in which the petition was disposed of.