Islamabad - The Islamabad High Court Friday ordered to register a case against the administration of Centaurus Mall for injuring CDA officials and creating hurdles in the anti-encroachment operation of the civic body.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued these orders while hearing a petition filed by the Transport Owners and Passengers’ Welfare Association, against the illegal bus stands and other encroachments operating on green belts at Faizabad with permission from Capital Development Authority (CDA).

During hearing of the petition, director enforcement of CDA Taj Ahmad Warsi who was injured in the anti-encroachment operation appeared before the court on wheel-chair and stated that stones were pelted and CDA employees were badly beaten resulting in serious injuries.

CDA conducted a landmark operation on November 8 when it trashed elephantine encroachments by Centaurus Mall on state land, turning a residential complex comprising around 400 rooms and an office complex containing around 150 rooms into debris.

The CDA went ahead with its operation despite resistance, which caused injuries to six persons, including CDA’s enforcement director. 15 acres of prime state land was retrieved during the operation with a total worth of over Rs20 billion.

The operation razed a two-storey office complex comprising 150 well-furnished rooms and a residential complex comprising 400 rooms, which housed Centaurus Mall employees.

During the operation, Centaurus Mall administration and employees halted the operation twice and started pelting stones on the CDA staff. The resistors also destroyed an excavation machine and a bulldozer completely in addition to damaging many official and operational vehicles.

Following the resistance bids, two separate applications for lodging FIRs were submitted in the relevant police station but police did not register the case.

Justice Siddiqui expressed his anger over non-registration of FIR and directed the police to immediately register the case and arrest the accused persons.

He lauded the performance of the enforcement directorate of CDA and directed it to remove all encroachments from the city without any discrimination.

Advocate Akram Sheikh appeared before the court on behalf of the Mall and informed the court that CDA did not send any notice to the Mall administration in this connection.

At this, Justice Shaukat Aziz directed him to submit his application and deferred the hearing till November 20 for further proceedings in this regard.