LHC dismisses Punjab govt’s plea against public prosecutors

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Thursday dismissed the Punjab government’s application seeking to stop a LHC bench from deciding the petition of 87 assistant and deputy prosecutors who were appointed during Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s government but removed by the present regime.
The Punjab government’s application pleaded that identical petitions were pending before other benches of the LHC in Multan and Rawalpindi, therefore, all petitions should be heard at the LHC Principal Seat, Lahore so that a single judgment might be issued on all petitions. The Punjab government also contended that Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan, who is hearing the matter, is a junior judge and the matter should be referred to and heard by senior judges.
The LHC CJ rejected the application observing that the bench of Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan had already completed the hearing of the case and also reserved its judgment after hearing, therefore, it was not lawful to change the bench or referring the matter to another judge. The other identical petitions at other benches in Multan or elsewhere might be referred for judgment by the bench of Justice Mehmood once it was announced as a precedent.
The public prosecutors contended that the Punjab government did not restore them despite LHC orders in this regard. The petitioners alleged that they were ignored for consideration to be appointed through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).
The Punjab government had requested the court to defer the judgments by the bench concerned but the LHC CJ turned down the plea observing that the relevant bench would pass the judgment.
LHC bails three accused in Qasr-e-Zauq scam: A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed interim bail until August 8 to three people on Thursday. The accused were involved in misappropriating Qasr-e-Zauq property worth Rs 1.38 billion.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhary and Justice Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu ordered petitioners Rana Muhammad Azam, Tikka Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Khan Tikka to deposit two sureties worth Rs 1 million each to avail interim bails until August 8.
The Qasr-e-Zauq scam was referred to the Supreme Court in December 2010 when two real estate dealers Skeikh Ayub and his son Mohsin Ayub, submitted bail applications to the court. Ayub contended that he was kidnapped by his business partners who forced him to sign the property documents in their favour. Upon that, the SC directed the National Accountability Bureau to investigate the matter and register a case against everyone involved.
LHC transfers 17 judicial
officers: The Lahore High Court (LHC) transferred 17 judicial officers on Thursday, including four additional district and sessions judges (AD&SJs) and 13 civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates.
According to a notification issued by the LHC registrar, AD&SJ Syed Asghar Ali was transferred from Kharian to Mandi Bahauddin, Raja Ghazanfar Ali from Mandi Bahauddin to Kharian, Muhammad Akmal Khan from Kharian to Gujrat and Zafar Iqbal Tarar from Sialkot to Daska.
Civil judge-cum-judicial magistrate Razaullah Khan was transferred from Kot Addu to Islamabad, Muhammad Wajid Hussain from Islamabad to Kot Addu, Hamid Mahmood from Gujranwala to Pindi Bhattian, Misbahunnabi from Pindi Bhattian to Gujranwala, Mazhar Abbas from Sargodha to Islamabad, Amir Mukhtar Gondal from Islamabad to Sargodha, Naveed Akhtar from Gujranwala to Islamabad, Muhammad Irfan Naseem Tarar from Islamabad to Gujranwala, Faraz Arshad from Chishtian to Pakpattan Sharif, Humaira Maqsood from Pakpattan Sharif to Chishtian, Jehanzeb Aman Hafeez from Liaquatpur to Dera Gazi Khan, Muhammad Asif from Dera Gazi Khan to Liaquatpur and Naveed Kamran Langrial from Mailsi to Vehari.