LAHORE – The Supreme Court has announced verdict in case related to RoyalPalm Golf and Country Club leased on Pakistan Railways land.
SC has dissolved the administrative board of Royal Palm Golf and CountryClub on Thursday ordering immediate confiscation of all the record.
During the hearing of a suo moto notice regarding the lease of railwayland, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar directed FergusonChartered Company to take administrative control of the upscale club.
Royal Palm Country & Golf Club’s old administration will not enter the clubpremises and all programmes and activities will run as per routine, theapex court ruled.
Directing Ramzan Sheikh and his management to hand over the club toFerguson company, Justice Nisar remarked that till the forensic audit iscomplete, the club will neither remain with the railways nor with RamzanSheikh.
“Royal Palm’s contract has been flawed since day one – billions were lootedafter joining hands with the railways to obtain the land. This is railwaysland and we will not let anyone keep it. Royal Palm owners are soinfluential that half the country listens to them,” the top judge added.
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The chief justice directed that all the matters of the club should continueas per schedule and also ruled that the land owned by Pakistan Railwayswill not be leased or used for constructing housing societies.
The apex court ruled that additional railways land will not be leased forany period over three-year.
“If the additional land is given to provinces then they will also sell it.We will let the railways land be with the railways and if provinces havereservations then they should file petitions in accordance with the law,”the chief justice observed.
Earlier, Pakistan Railways had sealed Royal Palm Golf and Country Club in abid to recover outstanding dues in billions; the department had alsoterminated lease contract that was signed in 2001 with Mainland HusnainPakistan Limited (MHPL).
