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RAWALPINDI: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed on Friday said he was not satisfied with the judicial system because a number of citizens were still deprived of justice.
In response to criticism by some members of the legal community at a ceremony organised by LHC bar association’s Rawalpindi chapter, Justice Saeed admitted to deficiencies in the system and said that certain targets of the judicial movement were yet to be achieved.
He said that certain steps taken by the lawyers and judges during the movement for restoration of judiciary had yet to bear fruit.
“Nobody can claim that every citizen is enjoying equal access to justice and that cases are being disposed of in time,” he remarked.
“My responsibility is to the extent of the Punjab province, where too the situation is not satisfactory,” he pointed out, adding about 85 per cent of the entire litigations of the country were in Punjab.
“But still I am responsible for ensuring access to every citizen who is living in my jurisdiction,” he added.
The number of judicial officers in Punjab was comparatively less than the other provinces, he maintained.
According to him, the problems are the outcome of a mindset existing for the past several decades.
This mindset treats the judiciary on the same lines as other subordinate government departments.
But the 2007 movement for restoration of the judiciary brought several changes and introduced remedial measures.
“At the same time, I am not depressed. The judiciary is part of the solution, not part of the problem,” said Justice Saeed.
He said the bench in cooperation with the bar could improve the situation as the two were the key components of the judicial system.
Advocate Ahsanuddin Sheikh criticised the attitude of some judges and said they should change their behaviour. He also criticised the outcome of the restoration of judiciary movement and said the movement could not bring about positive changes.
He demanded that before appointment of judges in the superior judiciary, their conduct, capacity and capabilities should thoroughly be examined.
Justice (retired) Tariq Mehmood, while talking to Dawn observed that the non-satisfactory remarks by a sitting high court chief justice about the system showed seriousness of the matter.
He said that after restoration of the judges, people had attached high hopes with the judicial system. In fact, the judiciary could not deliver what the people had expected because it got involved in other issues.
