Come Aug 11, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide on an application by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to strike out a suit by Bukit Jalil estate residents, relating to the eviction notice and demolition of their houses.

Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof set the date in chambers after meeting Muhammad Afiq Mohamad Noor, counsel for the 41 residents who were former workers of the estate, and Ashmadi Othman who appeared for city hall.

Ashmadi told reporters that he had given written submissions to the judge today, while Muhammad Afiq will submit his before Aug 10.

On March 14, the residents filed a suit against the Kuala Lumpur mayor, seeking a declaration that the plaintiffs had exclusive right and equity in the land and sought an injunction to prevent city hall from demolishing their homes.

On May 10, Zabariah dismissed their application for an interim injunction to stop City Hall from demolishing their homes.

However, they obtained an interim injuction from the Court of Appeal, pending their hearing of the appeal proper over the High Court's ruling. The Appeal Court will hear the matter on Aug 10.

The Bukit Jalil estate, formerly made up of 18,000 acres, was reduced to 26 acres after recent development of the land.

During the hearing of the injunction on April 27, the court was told that city hall had given 26 acres of the land to the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department to build a Muslim cemetery.

The residents' co-counsel Ragunath Kesavan had submitted that the residents were not squatters as they did not trespass on the land.

He said they had been living there for some time after the estate was sold to a private developer.

Ashmadi countered that the mayor was only carrying out his public duty by issuing the eviction notice and that the suit against the mayor was improper.

- Bernama