SC orders to restore old courts in Multan

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Thursday chided the Lahore High Court Registrar in the open court for misleading the authorities concerned about the newly-built Multan Judicial Complex and directed him to make arrangements to move all the courts back to the old sessions’ courts building.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar held proceedings on a suo motu notice taken on Multan’s judicial complex issue at the Supreme Court, Lahore Registry. Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were the other members of the bench. Lahore High Court Registrar Syed Khursheed Anwar Rizvi and district judiciary’s director general Akmal Khan appeared before the court on directions of the court.

On the court’s query, Rizvi said he personally visited the judicial complex in Multan and pleaded the court to explain the position. However, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who also personally visited the judicial complex, observed that “no need of explanation as we have personally visited it; just answer queries.” You brought me wrong information last night, the chief justice told him why the courts were shifted to the newly-built judicial complex so quickly when there were no requisite facilities. “Couldn’t you see when you visited there?” the CJ reprimanded the Registrar saying that “you misled the chief justice about the judicial complex”. The CJ said the complex was built in the fields far from the city and observed that whether the lawyers would take standing at a kiosk, “who will be the responsible if any rickshaw driver takes any female lawyer to some other place instead of the complex”? The chief justice expressed anger over poor planning of the complex. “It took 20 minutes for my convoy to reach the complex, so what about the lawyers and common litigants?” he remarked.

The chief Justice directed the Registrar to examine the pictures of the complex. On it, Rizvi viewed pictures in a hurry which irked the CJ who further remarked that “heavy power transmission lines are hanging over the newly-built complex. There is huge gap between the doors of the courts and no tree was planted there for the lawyers and litigants, the bench observed. The chief justice held the LHC Registrar Rizvi solely responsible over the issue. The bench ordered the Registrar to make all missing facilities at the new judicial complex available within three months. The hearing adjourned for an indefinite period.