Clean environment: Green courts not attracting petitions

LAHORE:

Only one case related to environment protection is pending in one of the four green courts in the city.

Lahore High Court had issued a notification on April 5, 2012, for the constitution of four green courts in Lahore.

Two cases were filed before the courts in 2013. One of those was decided in June 2013. In September 2013, another case was filed raising the number of cases to two again. In November 2013, one of those was decided.

The case is pending in a senior civil judge’s court. Three other courts of the district and sessions judge, senior judicial magistrates of Model Town and Cantt courts have no pending cases.

The then Lahore High Court chief justice had ordered that senior most judges on high court benches in Multan, Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi head a single green bench. Two senior judges were asked to sit on division benches.

Another notification was later issued, declaring courts of senior civil judges at district headquarters and the sub-division level green courts. The then Lahore district and sessions judge Mujahid Mustaqeem Ahmed had constituted four green courts to hear cases related to environmental pollution, including smoke emission.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, some lawyers said there was need to raise awareness about green courts. They said it was need of the hour to work for a pollution-free atmosphere.

Some of them, however, said green courts took too long to decided cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2014.