Staff Reporter
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Attorney General for Pakistan, the Advocate General Islamabad and stopped the capital administration from demolishing lawyers’ chambers at district courts F-8 till next hearing on March 2.
A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case filed by Islamabad Bar Association against removal of chambers of advocates.
During the course of proceedings, the Chief Justice expressed displeasure over gathering of large number of lawyers around the rostrum and said that the court would not come under pressure through these actions. “Once we were also advocates but never tried to pressurize the court,” he added.
He said that the lawyers should not construct chambers at public places and asked them to build their own offices if they want to practice.
He said that there were video clips of lawyers where they were talking about the courts.
He advised the lawyers to respect the institution whom they represent. Justice Ijaz inquired how three storey chambers were constructed on football ground.
The Chief Justice said that the lawyers considered chambers as their personal property after getting them on lease from the bar associations.
He asked who had given power to the bar association to lease the chambers? There was no justification for establishment of lawyers chambers on public land, he added.
After initial hearing of the case, the court stayed the demolition of lawyers’ chambers till Tuesday.
On February 7, the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) enforcement team and police demolished the illegal chambers and a day later, a group of lawyers entered the IHC premises, angrily chanting slogans against the judiciary and the CDA.
On February 16, the Islamabad High Court ruled that the illegal chambers of lawyers built on a playground in Islamabad’s sector F-8 should be demolished.
