LAHORE, Oct 29: The call to observe a strike received little response from the judicial and legal fraternity, the Lahore High Court said on Wednesday.

A press release issued by the Lahore High Court said the work in courts was carried out uninterrupted and cases of urgent and routine nature were heard and disposed of as usual.

Rebutting the bar’s claim of boycott of courts, the release said that 604 cases were handled (proceeded upon) while 276 of them were disposed of as all the judges gave the usual hearing, though about a dozen advocates tried to persuade them not to hear cases.

The release said that judges at all the benches of Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and Multan transacted their usual business. Lower courts across the Punjab also performed their judicial work.

It said all the judges called on the chief justice later in the day, assured him of their full support and pledged to dispense justice in the interest of the public at large.

They also appreciated the steps taken by the chief justice for getting about 16 kanals of the LHC on Fane Road vacated from illegal occupants.

Reports from the Lahore High Court suggest that judges dismissed some two dozen cases on the ground that counsel did not appear.

In many cases senior lawyers sent their juniors to seek adjournment of their cases which were generally granted.

As the day began, LHCBA president Hafiz Abdur Rahman Ansari and other office-bearers visited courts and requested judges to grant adjournments in cases because of the strike.

The courts, however, functioned normally and saw the usual crowd of litigants. But in most cases lawyers did not appear.