Rowdyism in courts: PBC urged to curb bullying by lawyers

The lawyer called upon PBC to take steps against bullying, rowdiness and misbehavior on the part of lawyers in courts

ISLAMABAD: A lawyer has called upon the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) to take steps to discourage “bullying, rowdiness and misbehavior” on the part of lawyers in courts.

Expressing concern over the growing number of manhandling cases by lawyers, PBC member Raheel Kamran Sheikh wrote a letter to Attorney-General Ashtar Ausaf Ali, who is also the chairman of PBC, requesting him to include this issue in the upcoming meeting of the apex body of lawyers on December 10.

Over the past few years, he said, cases in which lawyers resorted to intimidation, threats and violence. He pointed out that such incidents had been described by the media as acts of hooliganism by legal representatives.



He said it was sad that instead of serving as torchbearers of the rule of law, lawyers often acted in violation of the law, traumatising the pillars of justice administration, perpetuating anarchy.

Currently, he said, most incidents of bullying by lawyers were confined to civil, magisterial and sessions courts, but, if this trend was allowed to proliferate, “no court premises shall escape from this madness”.

The PBC member also expressed concern over the deteriorating standards of legal education.

“Only one per cent of lawyers earn 90 per cent of the income generated by the legal practice in Pakistan. In litigation and arbitration, who gets relief is always the primary question for the parties concerned.”



According to him, the number of lawyers currently exceeded 150,000 and this number doubles every five years. According to him, more than 100,000 law students enrolled in law colleges affiliated with the Punjab University, Bahauddin Zakaria University and Islamia University in Bahawalpur and the Sargodha University.

Despite spending 17 years in educational institutions, “these young lawyers will enter the profession without knowing how to write simple applications for the grant of bail or interim relief. (At this point) no one will be willing to train them”.

Stressing the need for ensuring equal opportunities for all deserving candidates, he said that it was not only necessary for strengthening the relationship between the bench and the bar, but also vital for effective dispensation of justice.

At present, he said, there was no objective criteria for elevating lawyers to the bench.

In the absence of better transparency in this regard, “one can never be sure if the principle of equality of opportunity is being satisfied”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2016.