FAISALABAD, May 13: Teachers on Monday lodged formal complaints with the Lahore High Court and the chief election commissioner levelling charges against judicial-cum-returning officers for their failure in arranging proper arrangements for the referendum.

The protesting teachers demanded the governor, the Election Commission and the LHC chief justice to take action against judges of the local courts who had failed to perform their duties under rules and regulations as assistant returning officers.

“There were very poor arrangements for the referendum in the district due to the negligence of judicial officers,” they alleged.

They also demanded suspension of Samundari additional district and sessions judge Jawed Fazil and urged the governor to constitute a committee to probe into the matter of an altercation between Prof Mehmood Anwar and the judge.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, central leaders of the Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association said the judge had insulted Prof Mehmood Anwar of the Government College, Faisalabad, during a referendum training programme on April 25. The subordinate staff of the judge also manhandled the professor and kicked him out from the office of the judge, they alleged.

They said the polling staff had announced to boycott the polling proceedings, but the matter was reconciled when the judge in the presence of teachers and his colleagues apologized to Prof Mehmood Anwar. Despite a patch-up, the ASJ got arrested the professor on April 28, but he was released after intervention of the district Nazim.

They said after the referendum, the police again arrested Prof Mehmood Anwar by registering a case against him for creating impediments in government task and attacking the judge.

The protesting teachers alleged that the Samundari ASJ was interfering in police investigation and court proceedings by misusing his official powers which could be judged from the fact that the professor was still in the jail.

SUSPENDED: The district police officer has suspended from service a sub-inspector, three assistant sub-inspectors and over four dozen constables on charge of dereliction of duties.