LAHORE: A lawyer, who is known for initiating public interest litigation (PIL), on Friday ‘recused’ himself from a case about implementation of employment quota for the disabled persons saying the Lahore High Court has started discouraging such litigation.

Advocate Azhar Siddique also had a heated argument with Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah when the former announced withdrawal of the petition he had filed for the rights of the disabled.

“The court has been dismissing public interest petitions,” the lawyer said when the chief justice said a PIL petition could not be withdrawn. The chief justice further said it was the prerogative of the court to allow withdrawal of such a petition.

Advocate Siddique pointed out that the court had recently imposed a fine on him in another ‘public interest’ petition against change of the Punjab police uniform and its tendering process. He said the court dismissed the petition and fined him without valid reasons despite an application for adjournment as he was busy before the Supreme Court.

However, the chief justice said reasons for the dismissal had been given in the written order of the police uniform case.

The lawyer insisted that he would withdraw the disabled persons’ case and the chief justice adjourned hearing for two weeks saying the court would take up the matter on its own.

Advocate Siddique has filed a number of public interest cases including the Orange Line Metro Train, one against increase in petroleum prices and one about fuel surcharge in electricity bills.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2017