Chief Justice Lahore High Court Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Thursday said there was no need to be afraid of any one but God, as every one would be answerable in His court.
He was addressing lawyers and judicial officers at the Sessions Court at the inauguration ceremony of lifts and a mosque on court premises. He also inaugurated the tree plantation campaign.
He said people believed in the judiciary and he hoped that judicial officers and lawyers would keep their belief intact. Lashing out at judicial officers, he said judges would have to work with sincerity instead of wasting time gossiping in their chambers. Expressing his gloom over the judge’s work, he said there were thousands of cases in which the final arguments had been completed, but handing-out of the decision was pending. Those who worked with responsibility would continue work while the rest would be dismissed, he said.
District and Session Judge Mujahid Mustaqeem Ahmed said they would have to work for to dispense prompt justice and to move forward for the betterment of the judiciary by defeating problems they faced. He hoped the LBA and the bench would foster better relations. Lahore High Court Registrar Sohail Nasir, LBA president Shehzad Hassan Shaikh, General Secretaries Farhad Shah and Rana Intizar and others also spoke on the occasion.
LHC proceeds against PML-N MNA in Shumaila Rana case: The Lahore High Court on Thursday decided to proceed ex-parte (one sided) proceedings against PML-N MNA Pervez Malik in a petition filed by the party’s former MPA Shumaila Rana seeking restoration of her assembly membership.
Rana in her petition alleged that some leaders and parliamentarians of her party including the mentioned MNA pressurized her to resign from the assembly membership.
After several opportunities given by the court, the respondents filed their replies to the petition and denied the charges leveled against them.
However, Malik failed to respond to the court notices, therefore, Justice Umar Ata Bandial decided to proceed against him ex-parte and directed the counsels of the parties involved to continue proceedings in the case.
The judge allowed petitioner’s counsel, Azhar Hameed, to file his arguments in writing on the next date of hearing, October 3.
The respondents who had submitted their replies in the court during previous many hearings included PML-N Senator Pervez Rasheed and former Punjab Chief Minister Secretariat additional secretary Naseem Sadiq. The chief minister had also denied that any pressure was exerted on the petitioner or her family from his office to tender the resignation.
Rana resigned from the assembly membership in July, 2009 owing to party pressure after a case of credit card theft was registered against her. Later, she was acquitted of the charges and filed the petition for the restoration of her membership and alleged that she had resigned under coercion. Besides PML-N leaders, she also made party Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal in her petition.
