KARACHI, Jan 14: Lawyers at the City Courts strongly condemned the detention of former acting chief justice of the Supreme Court Rana Bhagwandas and held a protest rally despite their thin attendance on Monday.

From the Karachi Bar Association office, they marched onto Raja Riaz Shaheed Road and M.A. Jinnah Road where they staged a sit-in and shouted pro-judiciary and anti-government slogans. The traffic remained blocked for sometime until they dispersed peacefully.

Earlier, the association’s general body meeting was held at Shuhda-i-Punjab Hall of City Courts where a resolution was moved by KBA President Mahmoodul Hassan.

Demanding their immediate release, the resolution condemned the detention of former acting chief justice Rana Bhagwandas, deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary, Pakistan Bar Council President Aitzaz Ahsan, former justice Tariq Mahmood and Ali Ahmed Kurd. The resolution also condemned the arrest of civil society members, including the son of deposed chief justice of the Sindh High Court on Sunday.The meeting decided that lawyers would boycott the legal proceedings at City Courts on Tuesday in protest against the detention of Rana Bhagwandas.

KBA general secretary Naeem Qureshi vowed to continue the struggle against the ousting of judges, detention of deposed judges and top leadership of the bar council.

Meanwhile, the legal proceedings at Malir District Courts remained suspended on Monday.