LAHORE, Oct 18: Chief Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court has ordered the establishment of summary courts to try and punish hoarders and blackmarketeers on the spot.

The chief justice has directed district and sessions judges across Punjab and Islamabad to appoint special judicial magistrates and civil judges to try and punish offenders under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001, to ensure that prices of commodities were kept at a reasonable level.

According to a news release, the chief justice has taken a serious view of the increase in the prices of commodities since the start of Ramazan. Similarly, he is also concerned with transporters charging excessive fare for trucks being used to send relief goods to areas hit by the massive earthquake observing that this trend was unfortunate.

The LHC has spelled out certain laws as a basis for the on-the-spot trial and punishment for the summary courts. The Price Control (Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding) Act, 1977, the Pure Food Ordinance, 1960, the West Pakistan Food Stuff Control Act, 1958, and the Ehtaram-i-Ramazan Ordinance, 1961, are the laws under which the offenders are to be tried. The courts have been directed to coordinate with the district government in their functioning.

The inclusion of laws on pure food means that adulteration in foods items also comes in the jurisdiction of summary court. These courts can sentence offenders to one to six months in prison with or without fine or both depending on the nature of the offence.

Sarbjeet: A senior Punjab Home Department officer on Tuesday deposed before Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Razvi of the LHC that it had no objection to a consultative meeting between Indian spy Sarbjeet Singh and his counsel, Abdul Hameed, at the Kot Lakhpat Jail.

In a report, the department informed the court that it also acknowledged the bona fide of Advocate Abdul Hameed as a counsel for the convict after he had produced the power of attorney signed by the Indian in his favour.

However, the counsel would have to submit a fresh application for the meeting to meet a legal formality, according to the officer. The court disposed of the writ petition, seeking a consultative meeting, as having borne fruit.