LAHORE, July 19: The last month’s closure of the Supreme Court Bar Association’s offices at Karachi and Lahore registry was challenged on Saturday in the Supreme Court.

The SC administration had ordered the closure of the two offices on June 26 alleging that the Bar members were using the premises for political activities besides misusing canteens. It had also claimed to own the SCBA offices and said it had the right to take the possession of these offices back if it found that they had been misused by the SCBA members.

Earlier, on June 9 the Islamabad office was sealed a day ahead of lawyers’ anti-LFO day observed countrywide and was reopened later. However, the holding of press conferences by the Bar members to criticize the superior court’s judges was banned in Islamabad office through the orders of June 26.

While challenging the orders, SC executive committee member Tariq Aziz declared these orders a gross violation of both fundamental and legal rights of the lawyers who had allegedly been denied the library facilities as well after the issuance of the impugned orders. The petitioner contended that the orders were unlawful for being issued without any mandate and lawful authority.

The petitioner contended that the SC administration’s action was violative of articles 2-A (guarantee of equality of status, provision of social, economic and political justice), 8 (consistency of laws), 15 (right of free movement), 16 (right of lawful assembly), 17 (right to form an association or unions) of the 1973 Constitution.