LAHORE: The bar on Thursday called off its protest and unlocked the entrance gate of the sessions court after a notification about a new mechanism of allocation of cases in district courts was withdrawn.

District and Sessions Judge Habibullah Amir had issued a notification envisaging transfer of cases pending before civil courts at Aiwan-i-Adl to respective tehsils/sub-divisions the plaintiffs concerned belonged to.

The lawyers led by the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) have been on protest since Feb 14. They boycotted the courts’ proceedings and also kept the entrance gates of the sessions court locked, denying access to litigant public and police personnel.

Other bar associations and councils also supported the protest of the LBA and demanded the withdrawal of the new system of allocation.

On Thursday, a delegation comprising leadership of the Pakistan Bar Council, Lahore High Court Bar Association and the LBA held a meeting with Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti.

The meeting remained successful for the lawyers as the notification was withdrawn.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2022