To practise or not...: ‘Suspended’ lawyer pleads innocence

LBA vice-president Rana Saeed claims allegations of misbehaviour with judge are false

LAHORE: Amid the controversy surrounding the suspension and restoration of the practice licence of the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) vice-president, the lawyer has pleaded innocence, claiming all charges against him of misbehaving with a judge are false.

Rana Saeed Anwar’s licence was suspended on October 8 by the LHC advisory committee but restored by the Punjab Bar Council a day later in a rare move, overruling the decision of the high court’s advisory committee.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the LBA vice-president said the allegations against him had nothing to do with reality and his licence was suspended by the high court committee without properly inquiring the matter.

He claimed the allegations of using derogatory language against the sessions judge had nothing to do with reality as the dispute between the two had been resolved about a month ago in the presence of other judges as witnesses.

He added sessions judge Nazir Ahmed Gajana was a witness to the entire episode. Narrating the story of his alleged misbehaviour, he said the naib qasid of the judge had taken the case file to get it photocopied when the counsel of the other side questioned him about bringing the file outside the courtroom.

“The naib qasid replied the judge had directed him to get the file photocopied as they wanted to give a copy to the other side as well,” the lawyer claimed. The counsel then brought the case file to the courtroom where fiery arguments were exchanged between the two sides, he added.

Rana Saeed claimed the responsibility of the whole episode was pinned on him. When asked if the LHC had the CCTV footage of the incident, he said he would abide by the suspension of his licence if the high court could prove his involvement in misbehaviour through video recording.

LBA Secretary Advocate Shahid Nawab Cheema said the PbBC had called an all-Punjab representatives conference on October 15 to decide its future strategy on the matter.

He added the lawyers would also hold a house on October 13 at Aiwan-e-Adl against the “unconstitutional interference” of the LHC chief justice in the affairs of the PbBC.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2016.