LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Friday directed the federal law secretary to submit a detailed report until December 14 on a petition filed by Hafizabad District Bar President Khalid Tehami challenging a bogus cheque worth Rs 30 million presented by Federal Law Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan to the bar.
Petitioner’s counsel Mushtaq Ahmed Mohal argued that the federal law minister gave the cheque in May, which got bounced when the bar tried to cash it. He alleged that a few days after giving the cheque, Awan got annoyed at the bar president’s meeting with Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and directed the Federal Finance Ministry to stop payment of Rs 30 million to the bar.
He said that the minister’s act showed that the huge amounts he distributed to bar associations across Punjab was to win support for the federal government against the superior judiciary. Mohal alleged that Awan gave grants to the bar associations from the national exchequer to lobby for the PPP government in the legal fraternity. He requested the court to initiate proceedings against the law minister for giving a bogus cheque and cheating the bar.
The deputy attorney general, appearing on the federal law ministry’s behalf, filed an application claiming that the bar office bearers had no jurisdiction to take the matter to court without passing a resolution in its general house. He said that an office bearer’s decision had no value and approval from the general house was necessary in this regard. He requested the court to dismiss the petition being non-maintainable.
