Above the law

The scenes that were broadcast on several private television channels on July 12 showing men dressed in black jackets and ties with shoes in hand hitting a black car with a green number plate were disturbing to say the least. The story surrounding this scene was that a group of lawyers had barged into the chamber of a district court judge in Lahore and had physically made him leave. After the natural resistance from the judge, the lawyers saw it fit to take matters (literally!) into their own hands, and began throwing their shoes at the vehicle ostensibly carrying him. The scenes showed the lawyers in extremely poor light. For starters, they represent an institution of society whose job, motto, ideal and vocational calling entails upholding the law and ensuring that it is implemented in letter and spirit. But here we had lawyers – and apparently all members of the Lahore Bar Association – exhibiting despicable behaviour against an officer of the law.

The reason that one can make for the protest is that the lawyers were angry by the conduct of the said judge and wanted him to not sit in on cases that they were appearing for. However, even if a lawyer or a group of lawyers feel that a particular judge is biased or is behaving in a unprofessional manner then they need to go about it the proper way. And that would be to file a complaint with the head of the judiciary for that particular jurisdiction or to file an application through the local bar association. It most certainly is not to hurl invective and abuse at a judge deemed biased and not to throw shoes at him. What could those lawyers be possibly trying to achieve by such loutish behaviour, except that they have succeeded in denigrating their own profession in the eyes of the rest of the country. The judiciary has refused the demands of the protesting lawyers and rightly so. The bar, however, needs to step in and give them exemplary punishment.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2010.