LAHORE/SHEIKHUPURA: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik had to rush to Sheikhpura district courts on Wednesday to control an ugly situation after a group of lawyers locked a senior additional district and sessions judge in his courtroom.

The chief justice was annoyed when he left for Sheikhupura as the news of the lawyers’ ‘hooliganism’ really irked him, an official said. The CJ was accompanied by senior LHC judges Sardar Tariq Masood, Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and registrar Habibullah Aamir.

The aggrieved judge, Khizar Hayat Gondal, had on June 20 dismissed a bail matter. Lawyer Imran Tatla who represented the plea did not like the decision. He visited the judge again on Wednesday along with his colleagues and complained that they were not happy with the decision. They even shouted at the judge and warned him of dire consequences if the decision was not recalled, an eyewitness told Dawn.

The advocates left the courtroom after locking it from outside. Advocate Imran Tatla was the chamber-fellow of Sheikhupura bar president Malik Khalid, a court official said.

PBC says it is ‘keenly observing’ lawyers’ conduct

The other judicial officers posted at Sheikhupura district courts informed the authorities in the high court about the incident. The bar president himself unlocked the courtroom after around one hour on hearing the information of the chief justice’s arrival, the official said.

The chief justice visited the district courts along with other judges of the high court and met the representatives of the Sheikhupura bar. He took AD&SJ Gondal to his courtroom and asked him to resume work.

On the occasion, Justice Malik said: “Now I will see who locks the courtroom,” an official said.

The bar leaders condemned the incident and assured the chief justice that a strict action would be taken against the guilty advocates within 24 hours.

Speaking to the Sheikhupura bar members later, the chief justice said a few elements in lawyers community were trying to mar bar-bench working relationship. He said we all should make efforts to eliminate such elements so that the bar and bench could function smoothly. He said a thin number of irritant lawyers were tarnishing the image of whole fraternity by their acts.

In the meantime, local judges including District and Sessions Judge Uzma Chughtai also reached the spot. The CJ directed the Sheikhupura district and sessions judge to submit a report on the incident.

Punjab Bar Council Vice Chairperson Farah Ejaz Baig said the bar had taken notices of incidents relating to lawyers’ highhandedness in the recent past and referred the matters to its disciplinary committee. She said the bar, being a provincial regulatory body, had been keenly observing lawyers’ conduct especially in courts.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2015

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