Dispensation of justice: Judges directed to avoid frequent transfer of cases

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik has directed district and sessions judges across the province to ask judicial officers to stop making frequent requests for transfer of cases.

In a letter written to district and sessions judges, the chief justice said frequent transfer of cases created hurdles to the disposal of cases. It said transfer of cases was a special dispensation [that should be] sought in rare cases. It has been noticed with concern that judicial officers make frequent references for transfer of cases hampering the speedy disposal of cases, the letter read.

Some lawyers have welcomed the chief justice’s directive while others say that referring cases to other courts does not obstruct the judicial process.

Supreme Court Advocate Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry welcomed the chief justice’s instructions. “Referral of cases delays the entire process… it adds to the burden on judges,” he said.

He said some lawyers requested for transfer of cases to “merely delay the matter”. “Sometimes a lawyer wants a case to be transferred to some other judge when he thinks that the ruling is not going to be in his favour,” he said. He said sometimes judges referred cases to other courts under pressure from office-bearers of bar associations in their areas.

Lahore Bar Association Vice President Jahangir Bhatti said referring a case from one court to another did not delay proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2015.