Judiciary Says No Orders Issued in Lavington Land Dispute Saga

The Judiciary says it has not issued a court order in the Lavington land dispute case that led to the arrest of an elderly couple over the weekend.

Mahesh Kumar Bhatti and Anita Bhatti have been occupying the land in question for 27 years. The land is, however, owned by Malkiat Singh Assi (deceased) and Munir Ahmed Chaudhri.

The Bhattis sought the orders after being detained over the weekend.

Additionally, they pleaded with the court to enjoin Chaudhri or anybody working on his behalf from obstructing, alienating, trading, disposing of, trespassing on, or otherwise tampering with the land.

The judiciary made it clear in a statement on Monday that no order had been made either granting or rejecting the requested prayers.

“The application has not been determined. Consequently, no Court Orders have been issued with respect to the properties in question whatsoever,” it said. 

It assured that the civil suit brought before the Environment and Land Court will be determined fairly and expeditiously in compliance with the law.

It also urged against misinformation and disinformation in regard to the case proceedings.

“We remain ready to provide clarification as far as the process is concerned whenever required to protect the integrity of the proceedings,” it added.

The two have been residing on the property as joint tenants and lessees, a previous inquiry by the police shows, and they do not have any ownership documentation for it.

Additionally, it was discovered that Malkiat Singh Assi and Munir Ahmed Chaudhri sold the couple part of the property before they left for medical treatment in London.

Police also discovered that the couple had reportedly destroyed the fence dividing the two areas of their property.

The case will be mentioned on September 18.