LAHORE, Dec 24: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the federal law ministry to ensure within a week the payment of a Rs2 million grant to the Hafizabad District Bar Association.

The court issued this order while disposing of a petition filed by the bar president who pleaded that a cheque given by Federal Law Minister Babar Awan was dishonoured.

Petitioner Khalid Tehami said Mr Awan had given a Rs2 million cheque to the bar in May 2010, but it was dishonoured by the bank concerned. He alleged that a few days after giving the cheque to the bar, the law minister got annoyed from bar's office bearers and issued directions to the finance ministry to stop payment to the bar.

Mr Tehami pointed out that after the visit of the law minister to the bar, he being the bar president had a meeting with Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry which annoyed the law minister.

He said this act of the law minister indicated that he had been giving heavy grants to district bars all over the province to gain sympathies of lawyers for his personal use against the judiciary.

He requested the court to initiate proceedings against the law minister for giving a bogus cheque and cheating the bar.