LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC), on Thursday, sought a reply from Punjab Local Government Secretary Noor Amin Mangal on a petition seeking a compensatory term for elected representatives of local bodies due to their suspension following the enactment of the Punjab Local Government Act, 2019.

Mayor Lahore Mubashar Javed had earlier filed a petition in the high court through his counsel and sought compensation for the tenure of elected representatives of local bodies in the province that was wasted after the enactment of the 2019 Act. The petitioner had claimed that he was elected as city mayor under the Punjab Local Government Act, 2013, for a five-year term.

He also argued that the local bodies in Punjab were illegally dissolved in 2019 without following due procedure, adding that he remained deprived of serving people for over 22 months. The applicant maintained that barring him from service was not only against the doctrine of democracy, but also an infringement of his fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 17 of the Constitution.

Punjab Local Government Secretary Mangal appeared before the court today and said that the tenure of the local bodies in the new act was five years. Later, Justice Jawad Hassan directed him to mention the dates of commencement and termination of local bodies’ representatives.