ACTING Chief Justice Ian Chang, presiding in the Pradoville land case currently being heard in chambers, ordered last Monday that copies of the writ by Desmond Trotman and the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Inc be served on all the land owners in Pradoville.This order was made after the former Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sheik Baksh and Dr Ganesh Singh asked the court for leave to become added respondents in the matter, so that they could participate in the proceedings.
The application was granted, following which the Chief Justice ordered that all the land owners in the area be served with copies of the writ.
In the matter of an application under Article 153 of the Constitution, for redress for contravention of the applicants’ and the citizens’ and the people’s fundamental rights, which have been guaranteed by Articles 40, 149 and 149D of the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana, the applicants, Desmond Trotman and the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Inc came forward with the Constitutional Motion.
Among other things, they are asking for a number of declarations, one of which is that the decision by the Cabinet of Ministers of Guyana to authorise NICIL to approve the mutation of the state land at parcel 237 into parcels 238 to 247 Plantation Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara, and Parcel 172 into Parcels 173 to 196 Plantation Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, without the authorisation and approval of Parliament, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, and other relevant statutory authorities is arbitrary, unconstitutional, unreasonable, unlawful, ultra vires, null and void, ab initio, and of no legal effect.
By the time the hearing resumes in Chambers on January 13, 2016, all those owners in the Pradoville 2 area would have been served with copies of the writs.

By George Barclay