Lawyers protest delay in judges appointment

MINGORA/PESHAWAR, March 31: The lawyers of Swat staged a protest demonstration on Thursday against delay in nomination of judges for the Darul Qaza and announced to convene an all parties` conference on the issue. The protesting lawyers took out a peaceful procession against delay in nomination of judges for Circuit Bench/Darul Qaza and termed a violation of constitution. Addressing the procession, Swat Bar Association president Asghar Khan, Sher Ali Shah and Shamsher Ali said that building had already been acquired for setting up the bench. The inordinate delay in making it functional had increased the problems of litigants, they added. They said that an all parties` conference would be held on Monday to discuss the issue. They added that the chief justice of Peshawar High Court had promised that judges would be nominated for Darul Qaza but so far the promised had not been fulfilled. Meanwhile, Peshaw ar High Court Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan on Thursday ordered to send all the case files related to Darul Qaza (Mingora Circuit Bench) to the additional registrar concerned so as to make the bench functional as soon as possible. The Sharia Nizam-i-Adl Regulation, promulgated in April 2009, envisaged establishment of Darul Qaza. Later on, the Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, also endorsed establishment of a Circuit Bench of Peshawar High Court at Mingora. According to a press release, Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan had directed the registrar on Jan 31 to make all arrangements to make Mingora Bench (Darul Qaza) functional. The registrar on Wednesday submitted a report to the chief justice stating that almost all the staff of Darul Qaza had been recruited except two private secretaries and one superintendent. About 3,184 cases pertaining to Darul Qaza had been segregated, the release said. The registrar also reported that there were some b uilding defects in the premises acquired for Darul Qaza and repair work was under progress. The chief justice directed the registrar to send all the case files pertaining to Darul Qaza forthwith to additional registrar concerned so that the bench might be made functional. The chief justice also directed the registrar to get the defects in building removed at the earliest.