LAHORE, March 24: Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday has said people will decided the fate of the judges removed after the `imposition of Nov 3 martial law’.

He was talking to reporters after Prime Minister-elect Yousuf Raza Gillani ordered release of the judges confined to their residences for the last over four months .

"Neither the judges took to streets in protest against their illegal removal nor they intended to do so in future. The whole nation had protested because it was a matter of shame for them," he said.

At one moment, Justice Ramday stopped people from chanting what he called political slogans. To a question regarding the deposed judges, he said there were "many a slips between the cup and the lips".

Justice Ramday said the issue of the judges (deposed on Nov 3) was not about their jobs but it was an issue concerning 160 million people who wanted an independent judiciary.

He said he had no words to thank what the lawyers, people from all walks of life and the media had done to highlight the issue.

Justice Ramday, who headed the bench that restored Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after his removal on March 9 last year, said he was sure that the judges would be back to their work soon.

Making an obvious reference to Attorney General Malik Mohammad Qayyum, Justice Ramday criticized him for saying that the deposed judges were not confined.

"Don't consider us judges but do consider us citizens of this country," he added.

Answering a question, he said he was sure that whatever the prime minister had said would be materialized in letter and spirit.

Answering another question, he said: "I was neither given an order of my detention nor of release." Justice Ramday said he had no regrets that he had to face over a four months long detention and felt satisfied that he had delivered verdicts honestly. The crowd showered flowers on Justice Ramday while chanting slogans for the restoration of all the judges. SCBA vice president Ghulam Nabi Bhatti, LHCBA secretary Rana Asadullah, LBA president Manzoor Qadir, Human Rights activist Hina Jillani also visited his residence.

Khawaja Ahmad Hasan of PML-N and a number of workers of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf and Khaksar Tehrik garlanded the deposed judge and distributed sweets.