LAHORE, Dec 3: The Lahore High Court gave the traffic police there weeks to ensure full implementation of the motor vehicles law and rules and submit a compliance report soon afterwards.

The direction was issued by a division bench comprising Justices Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmad and Mian Saqib Nisar on a public interest petition filed by Advocate MD Tahir in 1994. He told the bench on Monday that Justice Zia Mahmood Mirza, since retired, had summoned traffic police superintendents from across the province to enforce the Motor Vehicles Ordinance and the rules framed under it but there was no improvement in the situation.

The provisions dealing with overspeeding, overloading, dazzling lights, noisy horns and jutting out iron bars were, in particular, being violated with impunity. Road accidents were on the increase because of these violations, he submitted.

The bench issued a direction for full implementation of the law within three weeks.

SI’s plea: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the hearing of a police sub-inspector’s bail plea by a judge of the Lahore High Court till Dec 10, when a petition for leave to appeal against the LHC refusal to transfer it would again come up for hearing.

Sundas and her husband Farooq, who are pursuing a criminal case against SI Nazar Anees and other police officials, appeared in person before a two-member bench of the Supreme Court. They said the bail plea of co-accused Rana Akbar was heard and rejected by Justice M Javed Buttar. Nazar Anees’s bail petition was, however, assigned to Justice Zafar Pasha Chaudhry.

When they approached the chief justice for transfer of the bail plea, Nazar Anees’s counsel, Advocate Saleem Sahgal, claimed that his client was related to Justice Javed Buttar. They said they had no objection to Justice Buttar despite Nazar Anees’s alleged relationship with him. In fact, it was for them and not for the accused to object to his plea being heard by Justice Buttar on account of the alleged kinship. While they have expressed full confidence in Justice Buttar’s impartiality, the accused wanted the hearing of his case by Justice Chaudhry. Their plea for transfer of the case was dismissed by Chief Justice Falak Sher.

The bench comprising Justice Muhammad Arif Chaudhry and Justice Qazi Muhammad Farooq asked Mr Sahgal to substantiate and give details of his client’s relationship with Justice Buttar by Dec 10, when the petition would be taken up for further hearing.