Supreme Court urged to take notice of extra-judicial killings
By Our Staff Reporter

LAHORE, April 4: The Supreme Court Bar Association has pleaded with the apex court to take notice of increasing incidence of extra-judicial killings.

A resolution, adopted by the SCBA's executive committee at a meeting on Saturday, held the executive responsible for acts of police officials and said custodial killings could only be described as high-handedness of the police "which has become a daily affair". It requested the Supreme Court to take a suo motu notice of such violations of law.

Another resolution, released to the Press on Sunday by SCBA secretary M.A. Zafar, urged the government to fill vacancies of judges at the Supreme Court and all high courts in the light of the apex court's judgment of March 20, 1996.

The SCBA executive committee, which met here on Saturday, said filling of vacancies in the superior judiciary was obligatory on the government as the Supreme Court's judgment of March 20, 1996, in the Al-Jihad Trust case (known as the Judges Case) held that a vacancy should be filled within 30 days of occurrence.

"Any delay beyond the stipulated period is violative of the Supreme Court's judgment", an SCBA resolution said.

The Supreme Court has at present one vacancy and the Lahore High Court 13. The apex court's strength is 17 including the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The Lahore High Court has a total strength of 50 and 37 judges are working. The vacancies are lying vacant for well over a year.

The bar body also demanded the withdrawal of the recent increase in court fee made by the Lahore High Court.

It said the increase was adding to the burden on the poor litigants and amounted to closing the door to most of the people. According to the resolution, a significant effect of the increase would be that a large number of litigants would be unable to avail legal remedy against excesses of the executive.

The SCBA also sought withdrawal of a security fee of Rs 10,000 fixed for filing of review petitions in the Supreme Court. It pleaded with the apex court that appeals might be heard at Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta and that litigants should not be made to visit Islamabad for the purpose as this made the process expensive.

The SCBA also discussed arrangements for its general body meeting at a seminar on April 17 to celebrate the silver jubilee of the 1973 constitution.