ISLAMABAD: A three-member Supreme Court bench on Tuesday directed Deputy Inspector General Police (Investigation) Rao Sardar Ali to appear before the court on October 29 regarding the lawyers-police clash that took place in the district courts on October 1 and 2.
Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab was instructed to submit copies of the first investigation reports (FIRs) and other important documents regarding the case on the day of his hearing by a bench consisting of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday. IGP was also instructed to register cases against the policemen who had beaten two lawyers inside the Aiwan-e-Adl on October 1.
“As we are a part of the bench and the bar, we want to find an amicable solution of the untoward incident that took place between the police and the lawyers,” the bench said. “The committee was not formed to settle personal grudges but to find out the reasons of the incident,” Justice Ramday said. He clarified that they were not biased and hoped that both parties could sit down and resolve the matter.
Kazim Khan, a member of the inquiry committee, requested the court to take action against those officials who were involved in the lawyers’ torture. He said three FIRs were lodged against the lawyers and their office-bearers by the registrar of the Lahore High Court, superintendent of Sessions Court and the police. Advocate General Punjab, Khawaja Haris, told the court that Inspector General Police Tariq Saleem Dogar was busy in Sihala Police Training Centre, thus he was unable to appear the court.
A member of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) informed the court that they were cooperating with the Punjab government but so far no progress had been made. The court noted that no action had so far been taken against the senior police officers involved in the lawyers’ torture. The chief justice also inquired if a case had been initiated against the lawyers who beat the police driver on October 2.
The Lahore incident took place in the backdrop of differences between lawyers’ community and the judicial officers that started in the first week of July when the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) passed a resolution against Zawar Hussain Sheikh, district and session judge, for his non-cooperative attitude towards the bar and the lawyers.
The lawyers passed a resolution demanding the transfer of Zawar Sheikh, but he was not transferred. On media reports Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took notice and referred the matter to the Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, who formed a committee to find out a solution of this problem.
The recommendations of the committee went unheeded and as a result fights took place between lawyers and the police on October 1 and 2. Zawar has now been sent on a four months leave.
