LAHORE, March 31: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) condemned on Monday the authorities for raiding and ransacking the residence of Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday in Islamabad on March 29.
At a general house meeting, the LHCBA said the raid was a conspiracy being hatched in Presidency not only to tarnish the image of the new government but also to sabotage the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of judges.
Speakers said Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar (whom lawyers do not recognise a legitimate chief justice) by ordering the vacation of Justice Ramday's residence had tried to create misunderstanding between lawyers and the new government. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, however, foiled the attempt by returning the house and belongings to Justice Ramday, they said.
Justice Ramday says his servant phoned him on March 29 and told him that court officials had broken into his residence on the order of Justice Dogar. Mr Ramday calls it a criminal act, saying that it might be an attempt to steal the record of an important case from his residence.
Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan says Justice Ramday might have referred to the record of the March 9 reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry filed by President Pervez Musharraf.
The house adopted a resolution that the government should make public the outcome of an inquiry into the raid. They expressed confidence in Mr Gilani, saying that they hoped he would restore all the deposed judges for the independence of judiciary and the rule of law and democracy in the country.
LHCBA President Anwar Kamal said the residence of Justice Ramday was raided on the orders of President Pervez Musharraf and condemned the incident.
LHCBA Secretary Rana Asadullah, Justice Malik Saeed Hasan (retired), Ghulam Sabir Kaifi, Khwaja Mahmood, Aftab Sherazi and Azam Chohan also spoke.
Ramday: Supreme Court’s deposed Judge Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday has lauded the lawyers' movement for its success in putting the country on the right path and making a dictator bow to the will of the people.
Preferring to address the Lahore Bar Association telephonically instead of accepting an invitation to come to Aiwan-i-Adl, Justice Ramday said he would not ever be able to forget the support he received from civil society, media and lawyers throughout his life.
He congratulated the lawyers for successfully running their campaign for the restoration of judiciary and the 'deposed' judges. He also thanked the media and civil society for their continued support to the rights of the people.
Lahore Bar Association President Manzoor Qadir, senior vice-president Mohammad Asim Cheema, Secretary Latif Sra and Sufdar Jutt also addressed the emergency session called to condemn the attempt to get the residence of Justice Ramday vacated.
Manzoor Qadir said Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had accepted an invitation to address the Lahore Bar Assoctaion after his address to Karachi and Quetta bars.
He also urged all political parties to ensure the restoration of deposed judges while abiding by the Muree Declaration.