rki.news

Altaf Hamid Rao

MIRPUR, July 3: The High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday ordered the vacation of all residential buildings being used by private educational institutions, including schools and colleges, across the region within 90 days.

The ruling was issued by a single bench of the AJK High Court Circuit Mirpur, comprising Justice Khalid Rasheed Chaudhry, in a case titled Sahibzada Qurban Ali vs Mirpur Development Authority (MDA) and others.

The court directed the State Education Department, Higher Education authorities, and all relevant administrative bodies to ensure that all private schools and colleges operating from residential buildings are vacated across Azad Jammu and Kashmir within the stipulated 90-day period.

Justice Khalid Rasheed Chaudhry announced the judgment on Friday, emphasizing enforcement through all concerned government institutions.

According to court proceedings, veteran jurist Advocate Aurangzeb Choudhry of the AJK Supreme Court represented the petitioner, while Advocate Ch. Altaf appeared on behalf of private respondents No. 21 and 22, including Qazi Zahid Hussain and others. The respondents were accused of establishing a private school on residential Plot No. 281B in Sector F3, Part 4, Bandral Town, Mirpur, adjacent to House No. 281-A belonging to the petitioner.

The High Court further instructed all relevant authorities to ensure immediate compliance and removal of such educational setups from private residential properties.

The judgment has been formally communicated to all concerned government departments for implementation.