Preserving history: Landmark High Court building re-opens

Construction and renovation had started last year .

LAHORE:

“The Lahore High Court building has been constructed on the concept of secularism, so that no man would fear discrimination on account of religion or race in dispensation of justice,” Justice Anwarul Haq said on Saturday.

He was addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Eastern Wing of the LHC building after its restoration to original design.

Justice Haq said the central building of the court resembled a mosque from the front. He said from one aspect, it looked like a temple and from another, it resembled a gurdawara. He said the part of the building facing GPO resembled a church building.

Justice Haq, who is part of a three-member committee for renovation of the building, said the LHC was established in 1830.

He said the court was given the status of chief court in 1866.

He said the main building of the LHC was constructed between 1882 and 1887. He said the Eastern and Western wings were built in 1923.

He said the original design of the building had been lost in renovation and construction.

He said the Building Department had not taken care to preserve the original design of the building.

He said the bomb attack on Queen’s Road in 2009 had caused cracks in the Eastern Wing of the LHC.

He said some people had then proposed demolition of the Eastern Wing. He said it was Justice Azmat Saeed, the chief justice of the LHC at the time, who had decided to restore the building to its original shape.

He said in 2012, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial started its restoration work after deliberations with architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz and representatives of the Archaeology and Building Departments.

He thanked all those who had been part of the restoration. He said restoration of the Eastern Wing was a first part of a larger project.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial thanked lawyers and the judges for their role in early disposal of the cases. He said quality of justice was also important.

Mumtaz said the LHC building had a long history.

He said many such buildings had been ignored in the past and there was a need to restore important sites to their original design.

He said when he was consulted, he realised that some parts of the building were in a dangerous state of disrepair.

“It was essential to restore the building to avoid an untoward incident.

He said efforts had been made to restore the building according to international standards.

The ceremony was also attended by judges of the Supreme Court, former chief justice Syed Zahid Hussain, Falak Sher, Irshad Hassan Khan, Khalilur Rehman Ramday, retired and sitting Judges of Lahore High Court, Senior Advocates SM Zafar, Hamid Khan and Lahore High Court Bar Association president Shafqat Mehmood Chohan.

The restored area includes two court rooms, two judges’ chambers with attached bathrooms, a kitchen, a secretary’s room and a conference room. The staircase has also been renovated.

The restoration work includes roof treatment, wooden false ceiling, flooring, wooden wall panelling, electrification, maintenance of windows and doors, maintenance and wooden ceiling of canopies in two court rooms above the seats of the judges.

The restoration project commenced in April 2013 and deadline of completion of work was April 30, 2014.

West Wing controversy

In 2004, the-then administration of the LHC demolished West Wing of the LHC building sparking protests from civil society activists, lawyers and students of the National College of Arts and University of Punjab.

They said the construction violated of Section V of the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985.

They said the LHC was listed as a protected building under a notification dated March 21, 1985.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court then ordered the LHC chief justice to constitute a committee to ensure that the building was reconstructed to its original architectural features, design and façade.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2014.