Behavioural check: LBA vice-president barred from legal practice

Suspended lawyer asked to appear before LHC’s advisory committee


Our Correspondent October 08, 2016
LBA Vice-President Advocate Rana Saeed Anwar. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court advisory committee suspended the licence of the Lahore Bar Association vice-president on Saturday for misbehaving with an additional district and sessions judge.

Headed by Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the committee of six other judges had issued notice to LBA Vice-President Advocate Rana Saeed Anwar, but he did not appear before them because of which the committee suspended his licence.

The committee has informed all courts of the province to not accept him as a lawyer and referred his case to the Punjab Bar Council for further action.

The advisory committee had initiated proceedings against Rana Saeed on the complaint of Additional District and Sessions Judge Nadeem Anjum.

On August 26, the judge complained, he had rejected three bail applications in a murder case and Rana Saeed got really annoyed. The advocate snatched files of bail applications and used abusive language against the judge, who alleged the lawyer with his fellow advocates, harassed and humiliated him in the court.

Nadeem claimed the attackers did so because Rana Saeed, along with the complainant’s counsel Shahid Nawab Cheema, came to him a day earlier and asked him to grant bails, which he did not.

Moreover, the matter of Advocate Asif Bashir Mirza, president of Ferozewala Bar Association, was adjourned till October 14 as Mirza sought adjournment, saying he was ill. The committee had also issued him notice to appear on Saturday over a similar reason – for misbehaving with a judge.

Though Mirza had informed the committee of being ill, he was present at Kiani Hall of the Lahore High Court Bar Association where the general house meeting was going on to discuss the matter of issuance of notices to the lawyers by LHC. Mirza actively participated in the general house meeting.

In his application for adjournment, Mirza stated he was unable to appear before the committee as he was under treatment.

He had written he got platelets transfusion of Saturdays as his body was deficient on the part of blood cell. According to Mirza, he was a patient of Hepatitis-C and cirrhosis. He said even his spleen has increased by size due to the diseases.

The general house of Lahore High Court Bar Association was joined by representatives of different bars of the province and Punjab Bar Council Executive Committee Chairperson Mumtaz Mustafa.

There, the lawyers said LHC cannot issue notice to any lawyers over their behaviour. They said it was the authority of the Punjab Bar Council and they would not accept any such decision against the lawyers.

Punjab Bar Council had given a call for boycott of courts proceedings.

However, in Lahore, court proceedings took place as per their schedule as lawyers did not pay heed to the call.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2016.

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