August 23, 2007	Thursday	Sha’aban 9, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Aug 22: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Wednesday barred the Islamabad administration from shifting the district courts to newly-built judicial complex as at present it lacks facilities for the lawyers.

Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha granted interim relief to the Islamabad lawyers who had moved a civil miscellaneous application.

The lawyers had pleaded that the shifting of the district courts should be stopped until basic facilities such as a bar hall, lawyers’ chambers and library were made available at the new location.

In another writ petition, the lawyers had demanded provision of all needed facilities at the new judicial complex. In this regard, the LHC directed the district and sessions judge Islamabad to submit a detailed report on the unavailability of the basic facilities for the lawyers.

The next hearing in the case will take place after the first week of September, when the court will reopen after vacations.

Meanwhile, the LHC judge issued a notice to chief executive officer (CEO) of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), summoning him to appear in the court on August 24 to submit his comments in response to a complaint by the owner of a private school.

Mohammad Bashir, the owner of City Grammar High School at Afshan Colony, had moved the court against the alleged intrusion of the RCB officials.

In the petition, he said that RCB officials were creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the school that was affiliated with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education.

Mr Bashir said the officials either removed the school board or paste a poster stating that the school was closed. They asked the school administration to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the cantonment board’s CEO.

The petitioner said there was no government school in the vicinity and all private schools in the area were functioning without any NOC. It was unjustified to demand NOC from his school only, he added.