Attack on IHC: Six more lawyers granted bail, plea for one rejected
Those granted bail have been asked by the court to submit a bond of Rs50,000 each
March 05, 2021
- An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has granted bail to six lawyers in the Islamabad High Court attack case.
- The court rejected the bail plea of District Bar Association's Secretary Liaqat Manzoor Kamboh.
- Those granted bails have been asked by the court to submit a bond of Rs50,000 each.
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has granted bail to six lawyers in the Islamabad High Court attack case, while it rejected the bail plea of one lawyer.
According to Geo News, during the hearing related to the IHC attack case, the court rejected the bail plea of the District Bar Association's Secretary Liaqat Manzoor Kamboh.
Per the report, the ATC granted bail to Sardar Najam Abbas, Irfan Chaudhry, Advocate Khizar, Advocate Umar, Advocate Shoaib and Advocate Afshan, while each of them was ordered to submit a bond of Rs50,000.
So far, the ATC has granted bail to nine lawyers in the Islamabad High Court attack case.
Meanwhile, the newly-elected president of the High Court Bar Association Zahid Mahmood Raja, along with Liaqat Manzoor Kamboh, are still in jail.
Two other lawyers, namely Asadullah and Zafar Khokhar, also applied for bail, upon which the court has issued notices to the police to seek their response.
Contempt notices served to 17 lawyers after IHC building attack
Earlier in February, contempt of court notices had been served to 17 lawyers by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after they barged into the court premises and vandalised it.
On February 8, lawyers in Islamabad vehemently protested the demolition of their chambers by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) at the Islamabad judicial complex.
A mob of lawyers smashed windows in the chief justice block, chanting slogans outside the IHC Chief Justice's office. A night before, the CDA had demolished illegal chambers set up by lawyers in the premises of the district and sessions court in Islamabad.
Case registered against protesting lawyers
A case was later registered against the lawyers and raids were conducted to arrest the lawyers named in the FIR.
The FIR was registered against 300 lawyers, but 22 lawyers were named in the FIR under terrorism provisions. The spokesperson said some lawyers attacked the chief justice’s block and vandalised it and contempt of court proceedings have been initiated against them.
The IHC stated that it had sent a reference to the Islamabad Bar Council to suspend the licenses of the lawyers who were involved in the protest.
The spokesperson also clarified that the IHC and district courts carried out their regular work, refuting media reports that the IHC and district courts had been closed indefinitely.
It was clarified that the Islamabad Bar Council (IBA), Islamabad High Court Bar Association and District Bar Association had announced a strike and to avoid inconvenience to the general public and lawyers, the cause lists were cancelled for only one day.
'Take strict action against those involved in hooliganism'
On February 9, 70 legal practitioners issued a statement under their signatures condemning the vandalism at the offices of the IHC CJ block.
They said the attack on the court building was actually an attack on the base of the legal profession and demanded the Islamabad Bar Council take strict action against those involved in hooliganism.
