Judge row case: LHC Multan bar president presents apology in SC
The court adjourned hearing into the case until the third week of October
September 06, 2017
LAHORE: President of the Lahore High Court's (LHC) Multan bench association, Sher Zaman Qureshi, submitted an apology in the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry on Wednesday in the judge row case.
The apex court was conducting a hearing of Qureshi's appeal against the issuance of arrest warrants and cancelling of his licence by the LHC in the contempt of court case against him.
The case is being heard by a larger five-member bench and presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar.
The apex court also ordered the registrar of the LHC's Multan bench to present a report on the July 24 incident between the judge and lawyers as well as the recent clash between police and legal fraternity members.
The court then adjourned the hearing into the case until the third week of October.
LHC Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah on August 21 ordered police to arrest and produce Qureshi on the following day in a contempt of court case against him and another lawyer Qaiser Abbas Kazmi.
Hearing the appeal, Justice Nisar asked why Zaman failed to appear before the LHC and asked if it would not have been better for the honour of institutions if he had.
Justice Nisar said that if a prime minister can appear before court why can’t Zaman.
Qureshi’s lawyer, however, maintained that he had not misbehaved with the judge neither had engaged in any brawl.
The brawl had erupted on July 24 after Zaman, along with other members of the association, had gone to the court during a hearing on the case of rebuilding a demolished structure near Vehari Chowk.
During the hearing, Zaman allegedly passed some comments over which Justice Qasim told him to leave the courtroom, subsequently agitating the latter party.
Supreme Court Bar Association President Rashed Rizvi during today’s hearing lamented the bar has never been treated in such a way and said that shelling was carried out on the bar members from inside the high court during the contempt of court hearing in LHC.
During the last hearing, the LHC had also ordered the suspension of licences of Zaman and Kazmi. The chief justice of the LHC observed during the hearing that the sanctity of the court is supreme and there will be no compromise on it.
The court had termed Qureshi's conduct ‘most unbecoming and demeaning, that blatantly offends the prestige and honour of this court'.
The court also stated that Qureshi is blatantly defying the orders of the court [to appear before it].
Following the order, enraged lawyers loyal to Qureshi attempted to forcibly enter the courtroom, breaking the gate of a corridor and chanted slogans against the chief justice inside the LHC building.
Authorities used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesting lawyers while members of the legal fraternity pelted stones at the LHC building and police personnel protecting it.
Sources said the protesting lawyers, around 200 in number, included bar members from Multan, Burewala and other areas.
