IHC orders PAP rules uploaded online

Failure to comply may result in criminal action against court registrar

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior puisne judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has ordered that the Practice and Procedure Rules be uploaded on the IHC official website within 48 hours.

He has also directed that copies of the rules be provided to the Islamabad High Court Bar Association and the district bar associations. The judge has observed that if the order is not complied with, he will summon the IHC registrar.

Justice Kayani made these remarks during the hearing of a PTCL-related case. During the proceedings, in response to a court query regarding the Practice and Procedure Rules, a counsel expressed ignorance and stated that he was seeking to obtain the rules through a formal request.

Justice Kayani remarked that the IHC had framed rules that even judges themselves had not received. "I am a judge and I have not received them... so how could you?" he said. He added that although the full court had approved the rules, they were never made public, describing the Practice and Procedure Rules as a "secret document."

He directed the counsel to write to the registrar for the provision of the rules, but noted that even after submitting a request, it could take up to three months. "If any document is required here, the registrar often takes months to provide it," he observed.

The counsel stated that he had already inquired with the Ministry of Law and would submit a formal application. Addressing the petitioner's counsel, the court observed that if the order was not complied with, the counsel could file criminal proceedings.

The court reiterated its direction that the rules be uploaded on the website within 48 hours and warned that failure to comply would lead to criminal proceedings, with the registrar being summoned. When the counsel requested that the case be fixed for hearing again on January 29, Justice Kayani remarked that it was uncertain whether he would be present on that date. Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing without fixing a date.