Not qualified: Acting AG told not to interfere in bar affairs

PbBC Member Abdur Rehman approached LHC with petition questioning Ramday’s role as council’s ex-officio chairman.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Wednesday stopped acting advocate general Mustafa Ramday from interfering in the Punjab Bar Council’s affairs.

PbBC Member Abdur Rehman had approached the court with a petition questioning Mustafa Ramday’s role as the council’s ex-officio chairman. He said only a permanent advocate general could be PbBC’s chairman and Ramday was only the acting AGP.

He said the Punjab government had appointed Ramday as an additional advocate general and handed him the additional charge of overseeing duties of the advocate general till further orders as he was not eligible for the post of AGP. Under the relevant law, the counsel said, Ramday could not be PbBC chairman. He requested the court to stop Ramday from meddling in council affairs. After hearing the initial arguments, Justice Ijazul Ahsan issued a stay order and sought replies from Ramday and the Punjab government by March 26.

A petition challenging Ramday’s appointment as acting advocate general already is pending before the same court.

Advocate Noshab A Khan has said Article 140 of the Constitution stated that only a person qualified to be appointed as a judge of the Lahore High Court could be appointed advocate-general. He said the age requirement for an LHC judge was 45 years whereas Ramday was 37 or 38 years old – much younger than the minimum age requirement.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.