LHC bench sends back petitions against lawyers' arrest to Chief Justice

LAHORE: A bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday sent the petitions challenging arrests of lawyers in attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), to the chief justice for transfer of the case to another bench, ARY News reported.

The division bench of the high court headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, summoned president of the high court bar Hafeez-ur-Rehman in chamber. The Bar’s leader requested the bench to transfer the case to another bench of the high court.

The bench on the plea of the high court bar sent the case to the chief justice for hearing in another bench of the court.

Around 12 people were died after a mob of lawyers attacked Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, in clash with doctors. The lawyers ransacked the hospital, interrupted heart surgeries, thrashed attendants of the patients and left many others including a security guard of the hospital injured.

A senior judge of the LHC on Friday condemned the attack on the hospital by a mob of lawyers and observed that the incident brought a bad name to the judiciary as well.

“How did the lawyers even think of attacking a hospital? You left us with no respect. It does not happen even during wars,” said Justice Ali Baqar Najafi with regret to leaders of the lawyers while hearing multiple petitions challenging the cases and arrests of lawyers in the wake of the PIC attack.