Close circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday caught three court officials taking bribes from litigants and the LHC chief justice (CJ) suspended them after initiating disciplinary action against them.
According to details, three LHC officials including Naib Qasid Anwar Shah, Qasid Ikhlaq Ahmed and Naib Qasid Salamat Bhatti were taking bribes from litigants in court galleries and their video was recorded in the CCTV cameras. The officials did not bother to pay attention to the cameras installed in the court at sections and departments and bargained the amount of bribes and put the money in their pockets.
On receiving a report from the CCTV Cameras Section about the incident, LHC Establishment Sessions Judge Syed Marouf Ahmed Ali and Additional Registrar Chaudhry Attaur Rehman watched recording of the CCTV cameras and established that the accused took bribes despite an earlier warning by the LHC CJ a few weeks ago to all court staff. The LHC establishment reported the matter to the LHC CJ, who took prompt action against the naib qasids and qasid and suspended them while initiating disciplinary proceedings against them to set a lesson for others.
LHC CJ Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry said that courts will be made free of corrupt officials and stern action will be taken against if anyone was found involved in any corrupt practice such as taking bribes.
He said that honest, professionally-dedicated and diligent officials would be duly rewarded and defended while every measure will be taken to curb corruption at any level of the provincial judiciary. The LHC CJ said that CCTV cameras inside and outside courtrooms and other technical instruments would be used to detect corrupt elements and take them to task.
