Court allows bid by Ampang Park owners to challenge decision

Thirty-nine business premises owners in the Ampang Park mall were today allowed a judicial review to challenge the decision of the Federal Territories Ministry and three other parties which approved the acquisition of the land the mall sits on for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project.

High Court Judge Hanipah Farikullah made the decision in his chambers in the presence of counsel Jason Ng Kau and Edward Ng Boon Siong, representing the owners of the business premises as the applicants.

Ng told reporters: “The court also granted an interim stay until Feb 29 against the land administrators from possessing the land or issuing any awards on it.”

He said the court also fixed the same date for case management.

On Jan 8, the applicants, who are also the strata title-holders of the premises, filed the application, naming the Federal Territories Ministry, Malaysia, the director of Lands and Mines, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) and WPKL’s land administrators as respondents.

They sought a declaration that the Form D dated Aug 17, 2015 and Form E dated Oct 22, 2015 under the Land Acquisition Act 1960 issued by the respondents were unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

They also sought permission to commence judicial review proceedings to obtain a writ of certiorari to quash the approval.

- Bernama