The Federal Constitutional Court (FCCP) dismissed a petition concerning the ownership of land where a girls' school was constructed in Bhakkar.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah and Justice Rozi Khan Barrech, ruled that final determinations by revenue and consolidation authorities regarding land allotment cannot be reopened merely because of disputes over khasra numbers or land identification. The court held that constitutional jurisdiction is not intended to serve as a forum for reopening factual matters that competent authorities have already decided.
Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah and Justice Rozi Khan Barrech observed that a final decision can only be reopened if it involves a lack of jurisdiction, a mistake, or fraud. The FCCP noted that land consolidation in the area had been completed.
The court found that the consolidation proceedings had already determined the land rights and ownership of the petitioner without reducing her total landholding. The Supreme Court held that land redistribution and re-allotment primarily fall under the jurisdiction of consolidation authorities, whose decisions courts cannot ordinarily interfere with.
Furthermore, the bench ruled that an executing officer cannot go beyond the scope of a decree or amend a final one. The FCCP dismissed the petition and declined to grant leave to appeal.
