21 lawyers involved in IHC ambush served notices

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday served notices to 21 lawyers for misconduct and ambush Islamabad High Court (IHC).

A three member bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah and comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervaiz sought reply from the lawyers within one-week.

Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA)'s President Haseeb Chaudhry, Riasat Ali Azad and other lawyers appeared before the bench.

"This is not my presonal issue but directly relates with the sanctity on the honorable court. We would send references against lawyers, involved in IHC attack, under the law." Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked.

He observed that the Islamabad Bar Council (IBA) had condemned this incident and requested the court to send references against the involved lawyers. It was a list of more than 150 names but the court didn't want any kind of injustice with anybody, he added.

The court said that currently it was serving notices to only 21 lawyers and it was their right to be provided opportunity to clarify their position.

IHCBA's president said that the whole fraternity was feeling embarrassment on the incident and wanted action against the involved lawyers. He, however, said that they had contacted several time to the court for discussion on the matter.

The chief justice said that the Pakistan Bar Council (PBA) had rightly wrote that the legal fraternity had always struggled for the supremacy of law.

The court would take action against those who had damaged the image of whole fraternity, he said, adding that it had respected bars always and also requested bars' assistance in this matter to identify the responsible lawyers.

The chief justice said that these few people who created mess were known to everyone. The court said that it wouldn't even interfere into the investigation process of this case, adding that currently it was serving notices for disciplinary proceeding of PBA and IBA.

The chief justice said that he was expecting that the bar would itself wrote to IHC and identify the involved lawyers.

The court, however, adjourned hearing on the case till next date.