February 7, 2003	Friday	Zul Hijjah 5,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd to pay Rs10,000 each to eight lawyers representing the employees for the failure of the company’s counsel to appear in the court.

The court was hearing hundreds of cases seeking reinstatement of those employees who were appointed in the then Benazir government and their services were terminated by the then Nawaz Sharif government.

As the SC special bench, headed by Justice Rana Bhagwandas, took up about 300 cases, it was informed that SSGCL counsel Chaudhry Jameel had sought adjournment of the cases as he was suffering from flu, high blood pressure and hypertension. In an application, the counsel had sought adjournment to any date after Feb 15.

As the Advocate on Record was required to argue in the absence of the main counsel, Justice Bhagwandas invited the AoR, M.S. Khattak, to argue the case. The AoR, however, expressed inability to do so, saying Chaudhry Jameel would argue the case.

Justice Bhagwandas inquired from the AoR if he had informed the counsel who were coming to the court that they needed not to attend the hearing.

The court ordered that the company should pay Rs10,000 to each of the eight counsel who had come to attend the hearing.

Advocate Akram Shaikh, representing some of the appellants, asked the court to direct the company to pay something to those poor litigants who had been coming from far-flung area like Jacobabad, Zob, and Khuzdar to attend the hearing but the case was got adjourned by the company on one pretext or another.

The court observed that it was difficult to proceed with the matter without the presence of the main counsel and adjourned the case to a date in office.

The court, however, expressed dismay at the conduct of the advocate who had not shown courtesy to his colleagues and the court.

Wasim Sajjad, counsel for some of the dismissed employees, said there was a matter in which the Federal Service Tribunal had reinstated many employees months back but the decision had not been implemented by the company. The counsel said that the FST order had not been suspended by any court.

Justice Bhagwandas observed that the operation of one of such cases was suspended by a bench of the Supreme Court and the court would maintain the principle of consistency. Other members of the bench are Justice Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Justice Syed Deedar Hussain Shah, Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan and Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi.