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1983 CLC 1783

DR. MUNIR AHMED, M.B., B.S., MEDICAL OFFICER vs CHAIRMAN, HOUSE

Citation1983 CLC 1783
CourtBalochistan High Court
Judge(s)Muftikhar-ud-Din
ResultRevision dismissed

1. ' This revision is directed against the order of the learned Additional District Judge, Quetta, dated 20th February, 1983 whereby he has set aside the order of the Civil Judge 1st Class, Quetta, dated 20th December, 1980 whereby the Chairman House Allotment Committee, Government of Baluchistan and Province of Baluchistan through Secretary S&GAD, Quetta were issued a prohabitory injunction restraining them from interfering with the possession of Dr. Munir Ahmad's family in respect of Bungalow No, 22, Court Road, Quetta and arises in the following circumstances :

2. The father of Dr. Munir Ahmad I. e. Malik Abdus Samad while he was posted at Quetta was allotted the Bungalow No, 22 Court Road, Quetta wherein Dr. Munir Ahmad also resided. Malik Abdus Samad retired in February, 1979 but prior to that i. e. 4th January, 1979 Dr. Munir Ahmad had proceeded abroad for further studies. The Section Officer of Health Department addressed a letter to the Civil Estate Officer, Quetta and informed him that Dr. Munir Ahmad Khawajakhel, Medical Officer, Usta Muhammad has proceeded abroad for further studies. Since his family is residing with his father Malik Abdul Samad the Bungalow occupied by Malik Abdul Samad may be allotted to Dr. Munir Ahmad Khawajakhel after the retirement of Malik Abdus Samad. Apparently Dr. Munir Ahmad was neither posted at Quetta nor could claim any acoommodation at Quetta, no allotment was made by the Department. Some times in July, 1979, when Malik Abdus Samad had already retired he desired the Bungalow be allotted to his son Dr. Munir Ahmad. The Government of Baluchistan through D.

0. No, 2-28/CEO/S&GAD, dated 20th August, 1979 allowed Malik Abdus Samad to continue occupation of Bungalow but after some time that concession was withdrawn and Malik Abdus Samad was informed in clear terms that the house could not be retained under any rules, and acting on the orders of the Governor the Chief Secretary directed that Malik Abdus Samad be served with a notice to vacate the Bungalow, which was accordingly done through D. O. No, 2/28/78/CEO/S&GAD/176, dated 13th July, 1980. Malik Abdus Samad in order to retain the possession of the Bungalow filed a suit in the Court of the Civil Judge 1st Class, Quetta and was even successful in getting a stay order against the Government. However, realising the fate of the case withdrew the suit because the Government had preferred an appeal against that order of the Civil Judge, Quetta but made another attempt this time in the name of his son Dr. Munir Ahmad and filed a Suit No, 245 of 1980, on 25th August, 1980. It was prayed in the suit that "the Court be pleased to pass a decree for (a) declaration that the plaintiff is in lawful occupation, of Bungalow No, 22 Court Road, Quetta in lieu of the house rent and the defendants are not competent to interfere with the plaintiff's family's possession ; (b) for injunction restraining the defendants Nos. 1 and 2 from interfering with the plaintiff or his family's possession over the said bungalow ; along with the suit an application under Order XXXIX, rules 1 and 2, C. P. C. Was also made. This suit and the application was contested by the defendants and it was specifically pleaded :-

(AI) that the family of the plaintiff is not entitled to retain the Bungalow No, 22 Court Road as the same was never allotted in favour of the plaintiff.

(2) the House No, 22 Court Road was allotted to plaintiff's father Malik Abdus Samad whose entitlement to retain Government residence ceased on his retirement.

(3) that the plaintiff's father has also filed a suit on similar grounds, which he has since withdrawn realizing that the same was not maintainable.

(4) that the plaintiff is posted outside Quetta and as such he cannot lay any claim on Government residence at Quetta."

2. From the perusal of the file it appears that the reliance was placed by the Government on a judgment of this Court in Civil Revision No, 38 of 1979. A photostat copy whereof appears at page 20 of the file but in spite thereof an injunction was issued against the Government and the judgment of the High Court ignored. The respondents herein preferred an appeal against this order of the Civil Judge 1st Class passed on 20th December, 1980 and the Additional District Judge, Quetta while accepting the appeal set aside the order. Against this order, dated 20th February, 1983 the present revision petition has been filed on behalf of Dr. Munir Ahmad through his father Malik Abdus Samad special attorney.

3. I have heard Mr. Moquim Ansari, counsel for the petitioner and the Advocate-General on behalf of the respondents. The learned counsel for the petitioner has placed reliance on rule 15, sub- clause (4) of the Residential Accommodation at Quetta Procedure for Allotment Rules, 1982 contained in the Notification No, CEO(S & GAD)1-1/80, dated 24th June, 1982 which reads as follows :-

15. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

(ii) .

(iv) Allotment of accommodation may be transferred to the father/ mother/real brother/real sister/real son or wife/husband of the allottee, if he/she is eligible for the same or for a higher type of accommodation at the time of the event or becomes eligible within 2 months of the event and beneficiary had been ordinarily residing with the allottee. In case he/she is entitled to a lower class accommodation, he/she shall be allotted the first available quarter in the class and till such time an alternative accommodation is made available, he/she may retain the accommodation in his/her occupation on payment of normal rent."

3. Suffice is to say that this rule can under no principle of construction be' given retrospective effect and is on the face of it not applicable in the A present case. The learned Advocate-General has drawn my attention to the fact that Bungalow No, 22 is of A type which can be allotted to an officer holding National Pay Grade-19 or above and it was allotted to Malik Abdus Samad because he was an officer of that status. The petitioner being of Grade-18 was not entitled to this bungalow. Mr. Moquim Ansari being faced with this situation made an attempt to justify the submission by stressing on the occupation of some officers who were allotted the promises after the retirement or demise of their fathers but that allotment in the present case cannot be claimed as of right nor a legal precedent. When no application for the allotment was even made by Dr. Munir Ahmad himself and the recommendation of the Section Officer, Health Department quoted above had lost its effect after 4th January, 1979 when Dr. Munir Ahmad was not posted at Quetta and had left Pakistan. This was so for an additional reasons that as would appear from this recommendation also that Dr. Munir Ahmad was not posted at Quetta even at that time when the recommendation was made. Now he is drawing his pay from Kalat, and is no more on the strength of the Quetta District. Apart from the fact that Government servant can claim any accommodation in a District where he is not posted. There is a letter dated 15th August, 1968 issued by the erstwhile Government of West Pakistan which reads as under :- "A Government servant proceeding on training duty abroad will be allowed to retain the official residence during the period of training/ duty subject to the maximum of two years provided he leaves his wife and children and pays the rent regularly."

4. ' Dr. Munir Ahmad cannot claim any benefit under this letter also as he was never allotted this house or had ever paid any rent. The house was allotted to his father who was in its occupation, and it could not, therefore, be Allotted to any else and before his retirement (Abdus Samad) he Dr. Munir Ahmad was posted outside Quetta and had even proceeded abroad. The relief claimed in the suit cannot be granted in the terms prayed for as the Government servant are always liable to be transferred any time to any other place and is entitled (if at all) to occupy the residence while he holds the office at the place of posting only and nowhere else.

5. ' The Ordinance IX of 1966 West Pakistan Government Land and Buildings (Recovery of Possession)

6. Ordinance, 1966 which provides for the speedy recovery of possession of Government Lands and Buildings from outgoing lessees and licensees and unauthorised occupant and for matters ancillary thereto in section 2( f) defines "unauthorised occupant" as per person who is in occupation of any land or building without the express permission or authority of the Government and a person induced into any land or building by the lessee or licensee thereof and every member of the lessee's or licensee's family who remains in occupation of any land or building after the determination of the lease or licence in respect of the same. By section 10 of the said Ordinance the Civil Courts have been debarred from granting an injunction. The provision is reproduced below : - "Section 10. Jurisdiction of Civil Courts barred.-No civil Court shall pass an order in' any suit or proceeding granting a temporary or interim injunction restraining Government or any authority or officer authorised by it from taking possession of any land or building under this Ordinance."

7. The main guiding principle being that the decision of the Government in the matter of determination of the disputes, has been exclusively allowed to be examined by the Government or the Committee set up by the Government and the jurisdiction thus created is not one in respect of which the Courts could be thought to be invested with powers of any supervisory jurisdiction. And the Court should not involve itself into a field which is more appropriate for the Committee set up under that law rather than a Court.

8. ' The occupation by a Government servant of Government premises, even if allotted, can be no more than a tenancy at will which may be terminated by the Government at any time without any show-cause notice whereas in this particular case the occupation of Dr. Munir Ahmad's family was only that of licensee. Whether the case be a case of one tenancy at will o mere licence, there can be no question but that the Government has ful authority to terminate the occupation of the premises. Estate Officer Government of Pakistan v. Syed Tahir Hussain may be referred.

9. This Court also in Civil Revision No, 38 of 1979 practically in similar circumstances has held that the occupation of a Government servant without the proper allotment was patently unauthorised and no injunctive can be issued. In the circumstances of the case no injunction could be claimed. The reliance is also placed by the learned Advocate-General on the case of Shahid Coal Agency v.

10. Chairman, Pakistan Railways and others wherein it has been observed :- "that the issuance of a temporary injunction is governed by the same principles as the grant of a permanent injunction at the trial of the case and that the unauthorised occupant is not entitled to the relief of injunction to perpetuate the till-gotten gain. The grant of injunction is a matter within the discretion of the Court and I am of the considered view that it should not be issued in favour of trespasser. To grant an injunction in such a case would be tantamount to giving a right both present and future to trespasser which he could not legally claim."

11. I emphasis with regret that the occupation has been prolonged in seem ingly defiance of the legal order of the Government for a period of nearly five years.

12. ' During the arguments the learned Advocate-General has placed on record an undertaking given by Malik Abdus Samad father of Dr. Munir Ahmad which is in his own handwriting and is reproduced below :- "Estate Officer, Government of Baluchistan, Quetta.

13. ' Kindly refer to my talk with you regarding vacation of Bungalow No, 22 Court Road. I have managed a 'house for the family of Dr. Munir Ahmad which would be available for occupation within a fortnight or so. On our shifting to the new premises, the above Bungalow would be vacated by 10th May, 1983.

14. ' This is for your information.

15. (Sd.) ABDUS SAMAD, ' Dated 3-5-1983. Father of Dr. Munir Ahmad."

16. ' I, therefore, asked the learned counsel for the petitioner whether he still persists on the Revision Petition before this Court. This learned counsel had no answer to this but said that he would like if the order on merits is passed by this Court. By the answer of the learned counsel I am reminded of a saying "More loyal to the king than the king himself". Though in the face of this undertaking the revision has become infructuous yet in order to settle the controversy I had to give reasons for the dismissal of the Revision Petition. As I found that the judgment of this Court if Civil Revision No, 38 of 1979 had been ignored though the learned Civil Judge was bound under the law to follow it.

17. ' For the above reasons there is no substance in the petition which is hereby dismissed with no order as to costs.

18. ' On the conclusion of the arguments I had passed a short order dismissing the Revision Petition on 23rd July, 1983 and above are the reasons for that order.

19. PLD 1962 SC 75 PLD 1982 Quetta 134 revisions by the competent authorities. Therefore, it is advisable to consult the official sources or legal professionals for the most up-to-date and accurate information.

Cited by 10 cases

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