LAHORE – A clash between the bar and the bench took place in Aiwan-e-Adl on Wednesday, as the legal fraternity observed March 9 as ‘Iftikhar Day’. The clash took place when a female civil judge, Najia Batool, dismissed a civil suit filed by the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO). After the decision, counsel for the petitioner Sajid Tabassum flared up and called other lawyers in the court, who insisted the court reverse the decision. Najia left the courtroom after directing Sajid to file an appeal against her decision in the sessions court.
After she left, lawyers got the courtroom evacuated and locked its doors. Najia approached a senior civil judge and informed him about the incident. The senior civil judge reached the scene and resolved the matter with Lahore Bar Association (LBA) Secretary Rana Intizar, after which lawyers left the courtroom. The clash between the lawyers and the civil judge was a test for the newly elected LBA cabinet, who expressed its devotion to avoid any controversy between the bar and the bench.