Says litigants suffer a lot if cases remain pending or there are adjournments
\n LAHORE
\nChief Justice of Pakistan(CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed made clear on Saturday that protecting the fundamental rights of the citizens was the judiciary\u2019s constitutional duty, and failing at it meant violating the oath.
\nThe country\u2019s top judge was addressing a seminar \u2018Role of Judiciary & Legal Fraternity in the Improvement of Justice System\u2019 organised by the Punjab Bar Council at its office in Lahore.
\nCJP Gulzar Ahmed disagreed with the claim of Advocate General Punjab Ahmed Awais who, during his speech, claimed that he did not see the people\u2019s fundamental rights being protected in our society.
\nAwais had further maintained that the government had failed to protect the basic rights, and if things remain unchanged then ultimately the legal fraternity will come forward to ensure the protection of those rights.
\nJustice Gulzar said he did not agree with the opinion, but adding that if the time came to that then the judiciary will fight against the situation.
\nFurthermore, the CJP urged lawyers to put a stop to the \u2018culture of adjournment\u2019. \u201c[Adjournments] make sense if there is an extreme cause, otherwise there should be no need to request for an adjournment,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cThere is no doubt that the number of pending cases has increased,\u201d Justice Gulzar said, adding that there were several reasons behind it, Covid-19 being one of them; and some others which could not be discussed on this occasion.
\nThe litigants suffer a lot if cases will continue to remain pending and adjournments given, the CJP said. He also pointed out the matter of frivolous litigations, a practice that he said needed to end.
\nJustice Gulzar expressed displeasure at the condition of district courts province-wide, and directed Chief Justice Lahore High Court Muhammad Ameer Bhatti to seek a report from his inspection judge on it.
\nSpeaking on the matter of judge\u2019s appointment, the CJP observed that the judicial commission had now become independent and the times when judges gave dictation to it over appointments have gone. \u201cEverything is being done through due process,\u201d he added.
\nAfter the CJP concluded his speech, senior lawyer Abdullah Malik also handed over an application to CJP Gulzar Ahmed demanding to take suo muto notice on the Sialkot lynching incident.
\nThe CJP after reading the application gave it to his secretary asking him to look into the matter.<\/p>\n
Defensive atmosphere<\/p>\n
The seminar\u2019s atmosphere turned defensive when the LHC CJ spoke about the conduct of lawyers. He was responding to the representative of Punjab Bar Council\u2019s remarks, made during his address, about lawyers playing a pivotal role in the restoration of the judiciary.<\/p>\n
\u201cSection 7 ATA should not be added up in FIRs registered against lawyers and the lawyers do not cooperate and their grievances are not addressed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Justice Bhatti said that 99 per cent of the representatives of district bar associations appear in judge\u2019s chambers for their personal matters rather than resolving problems facing the lawyers\u2019 community. \u201cWas it for this purpose that the lawyers had restored the judiciary; to attack its own house,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
After Justice Bhatti\u2019s speech, Muhammad Iqbal Saqib, the chairman of seminar and symposium committee, expelled the impression saying that if even a single case was proved in DG Khan that a bar representative had come to his personal matter, he will resign.<\/p>\n
It is the allegation that 99 per cent of the bar representatives are involved in deciding their personal matters. He said there are criminal judges but they are part of the system.<\/p>\n
At which LHC\u2019s CJ Bhatti stood up once again and began walking towards the dice. He assured Saqib of taking action if an application regarding this was filed with the court.<\/p>\n
He took decisions and expelled some judges from the judiciary and we will take action in future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Says litigants suffer a lot if cases remain pending or there are adjournments LAHORE Chief Justice of Pakistan(CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed made clear on Saturday that protecting the fundamental rights of the citizens was the judiciary\u2019s constitutional duty, and failing at it meant violating the oath. The country\u2019s top judge was addressing a seminar \u2018Role […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-230976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n