10pm shutdown: Marriage halls go to court over timings
The court also sought a report and parawise comments within 15 days from the respondents, including the Punjab government. The judge asked the DCO and the other respondents to show under what authority the marriage halls were being closed at 10pm.
Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed passed this order on a petition filed by Javaid Nasir, owner of a marriage hall and the general secretary of the Lahore Marriage Halls Association. He termed the government policy “inhumane, undemocratic and unjust”, and one that had no legal basis.
He asked the court to declare the 10pm deadline illegal, or at least delay it by two hours, since local customs dictated that wedding functions are held between 10 and 12 at night.
“Functions cannot be started until guests arrive. The culture cannot be changed in a day,” he said.
The petitioner rejected the government’s stated rationale for the deadline – that it saves electricity – arguing that it actually resulted in greater consumption since it compelled people to hold functions at peak hours instead of late night. He said the 10pm deadline had “destroyed the marriage hall business”. It had also made it harder for families and their guests to enjoy weddings.
He rejected the argument that weddings could be attacked by terrorists, saying that most guests were relatives or friends. They were less at threat than theatres or cinemas, he said, and questioned why they hadn’t been given a similar deadline.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ