Banking courts: Focal person’s appointment ordered

LAHORE: Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday expressed his concern over non-appearance of any member on behalf of Secretary Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs despite due intimation about a meeting held to review progress of banking courts.

Being administrative judge of the banking courts, Justice Khan presided over a meeting that discussed the working and problems of each banking court in Punjab. The meeting resolved that two banking courts at Faisalabad and one at Sialkot should be established to minimise heavy pendency of cases in these districts. It decided that proper renovation of banking courts should be made on urgent basis and vacant posts of ministerial staff should be filled immediately. The meeting noted that no official accommodation was being provided to the judges of banking courts and only nominal house rent was being given to them; therefore, minimum house rent of Rs50,000 should be sanctioned/granted.

It also called for immediate appointment of judges in the banking courts. There are 18 banking courts (recovery of loans) in Punjab out of which 10 were still lying vacant, including six vacant courts of Lahore, where only one out of seven banking court was working.

The administrative judge ordered the ministry of law, justice & parliamentary affairs, to appoint some officer (not below the rank of deputy secretary) as focal person to deal with the matters of banking courts. The LHC registrar, director general of directorate of district judiciary and judges of the banking courts attended the meeting.