LAHORE, June 18: The Joint Action Committee of lawyers on Wednesday announced that it would take action against the Supreme Court administration for ‘sealing’ Supreme Court Bar Association’s offices in Islamabad and Lahore.

The JAC, however, maintained that a sense had prevailed on the part of the SC administration who had de-sealed the Lahore registry office and it hoped that the Islamabad office would also be handed back to the association shortly.

SCBA president Hamid Khan warned that the JAC would prosecute the SC officials who had allegedly sealed the offices without any jurisdiction and in case anything was found missing from the two offices, these officials would be held responsible for it.

“These acts of sealing our offices were nothing short of a commando action since the entire exercise was carried out without issuing a notice to the occupants of the premises which amounts to violation of all norms of natural justice on the part of the SC administration,” he said.

Mr Khan stated that the lawyers had the right of access to the association offices which was denied to them in a shameful and unprecedented manner.

Pakistan Bar Council’s executive committee chairman Kazim Khan said once the offices were handed over to the SCBA, they could not be sealed by the SC administration. He alleged that such an action had also tarnished the image of the judiciary since the sealing orders were passed allegedly by the chief justice of Pakistan.