The Lahore High Court (LHC) has recently announced revised working hours for courts and offices during the holy month of Ramazan, aiming to facilitate operations without inconveniencing lawyers and court members. This decision applies to all divisions of the principal seat and benches located across Punjab, including Rawalpindi, Multan, and Bahawalpur, along with civil and sessions courts.
The new court timings, set to take effect immediately, will see court sittings occurring from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM, with designated intervals throughout the day. Specifically, for Mondays through Thursdays, courts will operate from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, followed by a break and resumed sittings from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. On Fridays, courts will only operate until 12:30 PM, with similar breaks scheduled. Saturdays are reserved for dictation of judgments, granting judges reserved time to complete their work. Normal court hours will revert at the conclusion of Ramazan, with officials emphasizing the need to accommodate the unique circumstances of the month.
Meanwhile, the LHC is also set to hear a writ petition filed by lawyer Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi, demanding insights about the recently inaugurated 'fundamental rights monument' situated within the Supreme Court premises. The petition addresses the lack of response from the Supreme Court's registrar, following two inquiries for information surrounding the monument's establishment. Niazi's petition includes six questions aimed at identifying the approval process for the monument, its projected costs, the design firm engaged, and local regulations governing its sanctioning.
Niazi asserts the refusal to disclose this information constitutes a violation of constitutional obligations, emphasizing access to information is pivotal to public accountability. Article 3 of the Constitution asserts state responsibility to eradicate exploitation of all forms, amplifying the urgency for transparency. Niazi argues information about the monument is of significant public importance, and citizens have the right to be informed about such public projects.
Just over the last few days, circulating misinformation has also caught the attention of legal professionals and the wider public, with claims surfacing about the LHC granting civil servant status to lawyers, equipping them with rights comparable to gazetted officers within Basic Pay Scales (BPS) 17 and 18. The claims suggested lawyers would receive equivalent salary and medical benefits as government officials.
Upon closer examination, it became evident these claims were misleading and lacked proper contextual grounding. The purported order noted by references, invoking the LHC's provisions, aimed to clarify entitlements for lawyers holding membership with the Punjab Bar Council, allowing them free medical treatment at government hospitals upon displaying their membership cards. The LHC’s January ruling encapsulated these benefits under existing provisions since 2018 and articulated judicial dismissal of misleading interpretations circulating on social media.
Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth, Punjab Law Minister, firmly affirmed, "There is nothing like this [lawyers being granted gazetted officer status] in the law department, and no such notification has been issued by the Lahore High Court." This declaration unequivocally refuted the exaggerated representations about lawyers’ statuses, reiteratively stressing the need for accurate interpretation and dissemination of legal information.
Overall, the Lahore High Court's announcements highlight enduring commitments to ensuring procedural integrity within the judicial framework—both as pertaining to operational efficiency during religious observances and as it relates to public transparency concerning legal processes. A continued emphasis on clear communication among legal entities fosters public trust and accountability, uniquely catering to the democratic ideals outlined within Pakistan's constitutional framework.