LAHORE, July 25: The chief justice of Lahore High Court, Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, on Friday banned lawyers from pleading urgent cases after seeking general adjournment during the hearing of routine ones.

The chief justice took serious notice of the fact that lawyers sought general adjournment on various pretexts but went on to move applications for the urgent hearing of select cases.

The CJ directed the LHC office that a general adjournment, granted to a lawyer in any case, would also be applicable to urgent cases, and he would be allowed to plead the latter category of cases only after the period of general adjournment lapsed.