LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday sustained an office objection regarding maintainability of a petition seeking details of expenses for the Green Lane project for motorcycles in the city.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum heard the objection filed by PTI leader Akmal Khan Bari.

Expressing displeasure over filing petitions without relevant documents, the chief justice remarked that a fine of Rs20,000 could be imposed for filing unnecessary petitions.

The registrar office had objected that the petitioner had not approached the grievance redressal committee of the government before filing the petition.

Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar appeared on behalf of the Punjab government, while Advocate Rida Noor represented the petitioner.

The chief justice observed that the petition was filed without approaching the relevant forum and without necessary documents. She remarked that filing incomplete petitions wastes the court’s time.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that obtaining public information was a fundamental right of every citizen.

“If accessing information is a right, then the required documents should also be furnished,” the chief justice addressed the counsel and upheld the objection of the registrar office.

FIR ORDER: The Lahore High Court has suspended an order of a Narowal sessions court for registration of an alleged monetary fraud FIR against Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora.

Advocate Safdar Shaheen Pirzada argued on behalf of the provincial minister that the respondent, Ahmad Nadeem Gill, misled the court below to secure the impugned order.

He said the ex-officio justice of peace, Narowal, passed the impugned order against the facts and circumstances of the case. He pointed out that the district complaint officer of police also favoured the minister’s version on the matter as the respondent failed to present any proof in support of his allegations.

He asked the court to set aside the order issued by the court below.

“Operation of the impugned order shall remain suspended if not already implemented,” Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry said in his written order issued on the minister’s petition.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2025