Stop agencies from contacting ‘any judge’, LHC directs PM Office

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to instruct all civil and military intelligence agencies to refrain from contacting “any judge” or member of their staff, ARY News reported on Saturday.   

Justice Shahid Karim issued the directives in a four-page written order in a case pertaining to the harassment of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge in Sargodha after the latter allegedly refused to meet officials of an intelligence agency.

Former LHC chief justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan took a suo motu notice on the judge’s complaint. Meanwhile, Justice Karim took over the proceedings after Shahzad Khan’s elevation to the Supreme Court.

In the interim order, the LHC judge directed the PM Office to issue instructions to intelligence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), against contacting a judge whether of superior judiciary or sub-ordinate judiciary or any member of their staff in the future.

The order also directed all police officers in Punjab to not contact directly any judge of the superior judiciary or the sub-ordinate judiciary regarding the merits of any pending judicial proceedings before these courts.

It further stated that measures regarding the security of ATCs across Punjab would only be put in place “with the consultation and concurrence of the learned judge of that court and not otherwise”.

The court warned that the IGP, and chief of police of the division or district will be personally held responsible and will be proceeded against in contempt of the orders in the LHC in case of violation.

Additionally, the court has directed the anti-terrorism courts in Punjab to prioritise cases filed on May 9 and to decide them on a priority basis.

The court has also ordered the judicial staff to fully cooperate with the investigation into the harassment of the judge in Sargodha and to provide video recordings of the investigation to the High Court by July 8.

The order concluded that the proceedings were adjourned till July 8.