Post by Abid S. Zuberi | Ayan M. Memon Law Associates

After over two decades of litigation, the Honourable High Court of Sindh has finally been pleased to settle a commercial allotment dispute in favour of our client. The central issue before the Court was whether a compromise executed by an Outgoing Administrator could be challenged by an Incoming Administrator, and whether the proviso to Section 14 of the Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939 rendered the Settlement Deed unauthorized. The Court held that, as the Market Committee stood superseded, the objection under Section 14 was misconceived. It further reaffirmed the settled principle that official acts performed in the lawful discharge of public duties cannot be reversed or undone by a successor in office. The compromise was upheld as a valid and lawful substitution of the original plot, conferring no additional or extraneous benefit. This judgment reinforces the doctrine of institutional continuity, affirming that lawful acts of public authorities cannot be unsettled merely due to a subsequent administrative change. Accordingly, the Appeal was dismissed, and the impugned Order and Decree were maintained, bringing long overdue finality to the dispute. The matter was argued by our Managing Partner, Barrister Ayan Mustafa Memon, and Associate Partner, Barrister Hasaan Qamar, ably assisted by Associate Advocate Anushae Kazmi.