PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice SM Attique Shah on Monday convened a meeting on the October 3 incident when a scuffle broke out on the court premises during the bail petition of a police official.
According to a statement issued by the PHC Registrar, the chief justice and other judges expressed deep concern over the October 3 incident and stated that such unpleasant occurrences would not be tolerated, nor would leniency be shown to those responsible.
The registrar stated that an inquiry committee had been formed to identify those responsible and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future.The chief justice reaffirmed that there would be no compromise on the PHC decorum and dignity.
After attending the meeting, Bar President Ameenur Rehman told the media that the chief justice had called them for a briefing on the recent incidents.“The chief justice informed us that an operation has been launched against toutism. We have suspended the membership of some members of the PHC Bar. Those whose memberships have been suspended can be reinstated if they apologize and submit a written undertaking,” he said.
He added that Advocate Shabbir Hussain Gigyani had filed a complaint against them, which was brought to the attention of the chief justice, leading to the current situation.“During the meeting with the judges, they asked why we were preventing certain lawyers from entering the court. We clarified that only those with suspended memberships were restricted from entering the Bar Room - they may still appear in court if they wish. However, since Shabbir Hussain Gigyani has been named in an FIR, if the police fail to arrest him, we will resist,” Ameenur Rehman stated. He said that the chief justice sought assurance that no such incidents would occur again. “We assured him that we uphold the law and respect the dignity of the courts.”
It was agreed during the meeting that only those with valid licenses may appear in court, while those whose bar memberships are suspended would not be allowed entry into the Bar Room.
The bar president said that the chief justice assured them that action would be taken against anyone found involved in allowing unauthorized persons into the court premises.Meanwhile, following multiple requisitions received from members, the PHC Bar Association’s Executive Council called a general body meeting on Saturday to discuss the recent incident and other related matters.
It is worth mentioning that the Bar Association has already suspended the memberships of two lawyers and their associates for representing the accused SHO and for their alleged involvement in the October 3 incident. They have been barred from entering the Bar Rooms.
