Grand Hyatt case?

Justice Ijazul Ahsan has tendered his resignation amid speculation of potential proceedings by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) in the Grand Hyatt Hotel case, also known as the One Constitution Avenue case.

Sources indicate that Justice Ijazul Ahsan’s controversial involvement in the Grand Hyatt Hotel case prompted his unexpected resignation. One source suggested that the SJC was gearing up to take action against Ahsan, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Another source, echoing the same reason for Ahsan’s resignation, mentioned that material concerning Ahsan’s role in the Grand Hyatt Hotel case had been collected from various offices in the preceding months.

In the Grand Hyatt Hotel case, a Supreme Court bench, led by then Chief Justice Saqib Nisar in January 2019, reinstated the lease of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which had been revoked by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) due to by-law violations.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan, part of the three-member bench, had previously represented M/s BNP, the company allotted the plot for the Grand Hyatt Hotel. However, the company built a luxury apartment complex instead, converting green areas into residential-cum-commercial spaces.

The SC bench, in a short order issued a week before Justice Saqib Nisar’s retirement, directed the lease’s restoration and imposed a Rs17.5 billion penalty on M/s BNP without a specific method of determination.

The objection to Justice Ahsan’s inclusion in the bench, raised by the CDA lawyer due to his previous association with M/s BNP, was dismissed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who asserted that Ahsan’s prior connection with the company did not affect the case at hand.

Reportedly, M/s BNP, established shortly before participating in the 2005 auction for the Grand Hyatt Hotel plot, faced controversies over ownership changes and payment discrepancies. The CDA opposed the plot’s restoration, but the former CJP questioned the CDA’s inaction over 13 years.

Previously, the Islamabad High Court upheld the lease cancellation, instructing the FIA to proceed against officials responsible for leasing the land and favoring the company. The SC, with Chief Justice and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, had heard the company’s challenge to the high court’s decision.