250 lawyers involved in IHC vandalism: JIT

Report submitted to court terms 17 lawyers absconders


May 10, 2021
PHOTO: EXPRESS

ISLAMABAD:

The joint investigation team (JIT) report submitted on Saturday to the registrar in the Islamabad High Court vandalism case said that around 250 lawyers had participated in the protest on February 8 against the demolition of illegal chambers and attacked the high court building.

The report stated that the respective bars did not identify the lawyers who wreaked havoc on the high court building and held the judges hostage for hours.

The JIT collected evidence and arrested 23 nominated lawyers while the report said that 17 lawyers were still absconding. It added that cases against two lawyers, Zafar Gondal and Muhammad Shoaib Chaudhry, who were proved innocent, had been dismissed.

IHC, district courts' forensic audit completed

The JIT report said that different teams were formed to book the lawyers while closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage was retrieved from nearby buildings.

The report noted that the presidents of the high court and district bars refused to cooperate in the identification of the miscreants. The team recorded testimonies of 25 witnesses and investigated 23 law practitioners after arresting them.

The report said that it would get the 17 absconding lawyers declared as wanted following which action for confiscation of their properties would be initiated.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2021.

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