The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday summoned Lahore deputy commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) on a petition filed by Aurat March organisers against the refusal of NOC for holding the march in the Punjab capital owing to security reasons.
The organizers moved the high court on Saturday, arguing that the DC order was “arbitrary and colorable exercise of power and is in clear violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution The impugned order is, thus, liable to be struck down”.
The organizers pleaded the LHC to set aside the DC’s order and direct the respondents “to fully facilitate the petitioners and all the women of Lahore to peacefully participate in the Aurat March being organised at Nasser Bagh”.
The case was fixed for hearing before Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir today (Monday). However he recused himself from hearing the case and sent it back to the LHC chief justice, asking him to fix the petition for hearing before another bench.
Later, the case was fixed for hearing before Justice Anwar Hussain.
The organisers of the march were represented by Lahore Bar Association secretary Sabahat Rizvi and Advocate Asad Jamal. The judge has summoned Lahore DC Rafia Haider and SSP Dost Muhammad on March 7 in the case.
