He was inaugurating the Lahore Bar Association website at the Sessions Courts.
In his first ever address to the LBA after becoming the chief justice, he said he would not tolerate judicial officers who do not decide cases on merit.
CJ Chaudhry said that many innocent people were being accused in fake cases and getting punishments for crimes they had not committed.
He said that many judicial officers were deciding cases without first investigating the facts properly.
He said it seemed that giving out death and life sentences had become one of the easiest ways to dispose of cases. He said that judicial officers should think one hundred times before giving out capital punishments, adding that they should keep in mind that they were answerable to God for their decisions.
On his arrival, CJ Chaudhry was received with chants such as “Chief teray janisar bayshoomar bayshoomar” and “Pro-people chief justice zinda bad”.
Responding to LBA president Sajid Bashir’s complaints about references against lawyers, the chief justice condemned the harsh treatment meted out to lawyers by police officials. He announced that all references filed against the lawyers would be withdrawn.
About the construction of a judicial complex to house all courts scattered in the city, CJ Chaudhry said he was aware of the problems faced by the lawyers and that he would try his level best to get the complex built.
He agreed to the suggestion that there should be a housing society for lawyers and said that he would send proposals in this regard to the government.
He said that he never took bribes. He said he did not belong to a well-off family and understood the problems faced by lawyers.
He applauded the lawyers for remaining committed to the cause of judicial independence. He said he realised that lawyers had played a vital role and made several sacrifices in restoring an independent judiciary, which Gen Pervez Musharraf had wanted to run at his will.
He praised the lawyers for taking to the streets to resist Musharraf’s dictatorship, saying that he used to watch them on the television and felt very proud of them.
CJ Chaudhry said the LBA had foiled all the moves made by the dictator to prevent the judiciary from gaining true independence.
The chief justice later distributed certificates among the developers of the LBA website.
Earlier, LBA president Sajid Bashir also addressed the gathering.
He brought several problems faced by the lawyers to the chief justice’s notice.
He said that the lawyers had been risking their lives for the freedom of the judiciary, adding that they were committed to the cause.
Sessions Court Judge Sohail Nasir and Senior Civil Judge Arif Hameed Sheikh were also present at the occasion.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2010.
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