Fighting it out: Courtroom turns into battlefield over delays in proceedings
The litigants accuse each other of deliberately delaying the case.
Courtroom turns into battlefield over delays in proceedings. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
A courtroom turned into a battlefield on Thursday when litigants, including five brothers and some of their relatives, started beating each other with the courtroom’s chairs in front of the judge.
At first, the court staffers and other passerby couldn’t understand what exactly was happening in the courtroom of the additional district and sessions judge, but the intervention of the police later confirmed that it was an actual fight between the two parties in connection with a case pending for four years.
The fight broke out when the litigants, comprising five brothers, Majawar Khan, Faraz Khan and Amir Khan in one party and Yousuf Khan and Abdul Rehman of the second party, along with some other relatives attacked each other, accusing each other for the delays in the case.
The men used chairs and whatever they could get hold of until they bled, said witnesses. Seeing the critical situation, the additional district and sessions judge, Naushaba Kazi, immediately called in the City Courts police, they added. The police arrived and took the men to the police station, from where they some of them were shifted to Civil Hospital, Karachi.
The police detained the men under section 151 (knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse) on the court’s order. The police said that more sections will be added following the medical reports that will reveal the real condition of the injuries.
Majawar Khan had earlier registered a case, No.144/09, under sections 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intent) against his brothers, Yousuf Khan and Abdul Rehman and two others, Ameer Khan and Saeedur Rahman, with Mominabad police.
While registering a counter case, No.162/09, under the same sections, Yousuf Khan had gone to the police against his brothers, Majawar Khan, Faraz Khan and Amir Khan. Both the parties had accused each other of attacking with intent to kill in the cases.
When the case was being adjourned until a later date due to the absence of Saeedur Rehman over his ailment, the litigants of the other party alleged that he was resting at home and deliberately did not appear in court. It was enough to irk the other party, which reminded the court of several absences on their part. The allegations turned into denials and subsequently led to the physical fight. With the men admitted to the hospital and others detained in the lock up, the case was adjourned till January 30.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2014.
A courtroom turned into a battlefield on Thursday when litigants, including five brothers and some of their relatives, started beating each other with the courtroom’s chairs in front of the judge.
At first, the court staffers and other passerby couldn’t understand what exactly was happening in the courtroom of the additional district and sessions judge, but the intervention of the police later confirmed that it was an actual fight between the two parties in connection with a case pending for four years.
The fight broke out when the litigants, comprising five brothers, Majawar Khan, Faraz Khan and Amir Khan in one party and Yousuf Khan and Abdul Rehman of the second party, along with some other relatives attacked each other, accusing each other for the delays in the case.
The men used chairs and whatever they could get hold of until they bled, said witnesses. Seeing the critical situation, the additional district and sessions judge, Naushaba Kazi, immediately called in the City Courts police, they added. The police arrived and took the men to the police station, from where they some of them were shifted to Civil Hospital, Karachi.
The police detained the men under section 151 (knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse) on the court’s order. The police said that more sections will be added following the medical reports that will reveal the real condition of the injuries.
Majawar Khan had earlier registered a case, No.144/09, under sections 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intent) against his brothers, Yousuf Khan and Abdul Rehman and two others, Ameer Khan and Saeedur Rahman, with Mominabad police.
While registering a counter case, No.162/09, under the same sections, Yousuf Khan had gone to the police against his brothers, Majawar Khan, Faraz Khan and Amir Khan. Both the parties had accused each other of attacking with intent to kill in the cases.
When the case was being adjourned until a later date due to the absence of Saeedur Rehman over his ailment, the litigants of the other party alleged that he was resting at home and deliberately did not appear in court. It was enough to irk the other party, which reminded the court of several absences on their part. The allegations turned into denials and subsequently led to the physical fight. With the men admitted to the hospital and others detained in the lock up, the case was adjourned till January 30.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2014.