The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has overturned the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling that led to the closure and demolition of Monal Restaurant and other commercial establishments inside Islamabad’s Margalla Hills National Park, reopening the legal path for the iconic restaurant.

A three-member Constitutional Court bench headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi accepted review petitions filed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI).

The court ruled that the ownership dispute should be decided independently by the relevant trial courts without being influenced by observations made in the earlier Supreme Court judgment. It further directed that administrative and regulatory issues be handled by the competent authorities.

During the hearing, Justice Rizvi observed that the previous Supreme Court ruling had addressed issues beyond the scope of the case and overlooked several important legal aspects. He stressed that the Constitutional Court would decide the matter strictly according to law.

The decision effectively sets aside the Supreme Court’s September 2024 order, which had directed the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, with the assistance of the CDA and Islamabad Police, to take possession of Monal, La Montana, Gloria Jeans, and other restaurants operating within the Margalla Hills National Park.

The earlier Supreme Court judgment had held that the restaurants were operating in violation of the Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation and Management) Ordinance, 1979, and ordered their removal, citing environmental damage to the protected national park.

While Monday’s ruling does not automatically restore Monal’s operations, it removes the legal basis of the earlier demolition order and sends the ownership dispute back to the appropriate courts for determination, significantly improving the restaurant’s prospects of returning.