A Lahore High Court’s division bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, on Thursday finally suspended a three month’s imprisonment order to release a member of the Punjab Bar Council, Rana Muhammad Asif, who was convicted in contempt proceedings.
Asif was arrested earlier in the wee hours of the day.
The relations between the bar and bench have soured for a long time after LHC’s Senior Puisne Judge Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan not only awarded a three months imprisonment to Asif but also suspended his licence for allegedly disrespecting; pressuring the court through other lawyers; and halting its functions.
The matter had surfaced when Asif was found wearing a gown in the courtroom of Justice Shahzad.
As Justice Shahzad noticed it, he directed Asif to leave the courtroom for wearing the gown.
The judge further observed that the courtroom was not meant for changing or wearing the uniform of any advocate.
The lawyers then started shouting at the judge instead of paying any heed to the court’s directions.
Later, several rounds of negotiations were held between the bar and bench but all in vain.
As the lawyers started observing strikes across Punjab, the security at the LHC was beefed up.
Hundreds of police personnel were deployed at the LHC and the route leading to Justice Shahzad's courtroom was completely shut down by the law enforcers to avoid any untoward incident.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2023.
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