LAHORE: Two judges of the Lahore High Court on Thursday recused themselves from an appeal of the Punjab government challenging a decision of a special court imposing fine on the inspectors general of police, home secretary Punjab and the inspector general of prisons for not presenting former chief minister Parvez Elahi.

The government filed the appeal through the advocate general office which was fixed before Justice Shujaat Ali Khan. However, Justice Shujaat recused himself from the appeal citing personal reasons. Later, the registrar office fixed the government’s appeal before Justice Farooq Haider who also refused to hear it for personal reasons. The judge returned the appeal to the Chief Justice with a request to place it before any other judge.

A special court had taken exception to the shifting of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi from Lahore to Rawalpindi jail without the court’s permission and issued show-cause notices to the officials. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each officer in addition to an order for the attachment of their salaries. The court was hearing a money laundering case against Elahi wherein he is on judicial remand. The police told the court that the superintendent of Adiala Jail refused to hand over the custody of Pervez Elahi due to his detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order. The FIA had registered a money laundering case against Parvez Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi and others.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023