LAHORE: The Old Anarkali police on Wednesday arrested a lawyer after he ransacked the copy branch of the Lahore High Court allegedly in protest against delay in issuance of an attested copy of a court order.

The behaviour of the rogue lawyer was condemned by the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) and the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA).

The lawyer, identified as Majid Jahangir, barged into the LHC’s copy branch with a big iron rod and started smashing the glass shields in front of the counters in the room.

A video of the incident widely circulated on social media shows that the lawyer warned everyone, including a policeman present on the scene, to stay away and “don’t intervene”.

Loses practice licence, LHCBA membership

“It’s a matter of lawyers,” Jahangir reportedly told the policeman when he tried to stop him.

The infuriated lawyer audaciously smashed all the glass shields and left the building.

Later, security personnel arrested the attacker and handed him over to the police.

The police registered a first information report (FIR) of the incident under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty), 440 (mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt), 506 B (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The police also added section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 in the case.

Taking notice of the incident, the Punjab Bar Council, the provincial regulatory body of lawyers, suspended the legal practicing licence of Jahangir and referred the matter to a tribunal for cancellation of the same.

In a video message, the council’s vice chairman Farhan Shahzad condemned the incident, saying the act of an individual lawyer brought a bad name to the whole legal fraternity.

“My head hung in shame the moment I learnt about this incident,” he added.

He said licences of 170 lawyers had been suspended in the first nine months of the current year on charges of professional misconduct.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) also condemned the incident and suspended the membership of Jahangir and also restricted his entry to the bar.

In a statement, LHCBA Secretary Khwaja Mohsin Abbas said the whole cabinet showed a great resentment over the gross misconduct of the lawyer.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2021