Tag: Lahore High Court (LHC)

  • Anti-smog crackdown intensifies: Rs129 million fines issued to violators

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has been apprised through a comprehensive report detailing the robust measures taken by the Punjab government to address the smog issue. The report highlights the imposition of fines totalling Rs129 million on violators as a strong deterrent against activities contributing to air pollution.

    The report outlines that 6,700 units were sealed for violating smog-related restrictions. Over a three-month period, authorities inspected approximately 60,000 small and large units, resulting in the closure of more than 6,700 units due to violations.

    During this crackdown, 540 cases were registered against those contributing to smog, leading to the arrest of 118 individuals.

    The report highlights the sealing of 735 smoke-emitting factories in the Lahore division and the closure of 187 brick kilns during the smog control initiative.

    Fines amounting to Rs8.6 million were imposed for burning crop residue, and 216 cases were registered against those setting fire to crop stubble.

    Despite these efforts, the air quality index (AQI) of Lahore, initially recorded at a hazardous level of 371 in the morning, later dropped to around 211 in the afternoon. This shift caused Lahore to fall to the third position on the list of the world’s most polluted cities, a noteworthy change from its consistent first and second positions in recent months due to high levels of air pollution.

    Specifically, Polo Ground Cantt and Phase 8 DHA were identified as the most polluted areas within the city, with AQIs of 291 and 259, respectively.

  • Back to 2020? Markets, restaurants to be closed by 10pm

    Back to 2020? Markets, restaurants to be closed by 10pm

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued orders to close markets and restaurants in Lahore by 10pm in order to control the worsening smog in the city.

    The court gave out its ruling after a hearing on a petition seeking the court’s intervention to curb smog. According to the orders, the closure of markets and restaurants by 10pm will be enforced on weekdays.

    On weekends, however, restaurants will be allowed to close at 11pm. Although it has been suggested that markets should remain closed on Sundays but the suggestion has been put off for now.

    Regarding schools, the court said that schools that remained open on Fridays will be sealed and directed the education department to strictly implement its orders.

    Last week, the Punjab Government ordered closure of schools in the provincial capital for three days a week— Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

    Pakistan’s biggest cities have ranked among the most polluted in the world for the past few weeks, with Lahore, the capital of Punjab, having topped the list the metropolises with the most polluted air several times in the last month.

  • Court suspends Rana Sanaullah’s arrest warrant

    Court suspends Rana Sanaullah’s arrest warrant

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s arrest warrant today (Friday) in an inquiry related to the purchase of plots in a housing society. The court also stopped the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) from arresting the minister and raiding his house.

    According to Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister for Anti-Corruption, retired Brigadier Musaddiq Abbasi, Sanaullah had taken two plots as a “bribe” from an “illegal housing society” known as the Bismillah Housing Scheme in Chakwal district.

    The court has sought case record from ACE by October 17.

    On October 10, an ACE team said that they couldn’t arrest the minister because Islamabad police didnt cooperate with them.

    Earlier, a judicial magistrate issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for the federal minister over his non-appearance in an anti-corruption inquiry.

  • Court orders police to stop harassing The Minor’s mother-in-law

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the police on Friday to not harass The Minor’s mother-in-law.

    The hearing was headed by Justice Tariq Saleem. A petition was filed by The Minor’s alleged husband Zaheer Ahmed’s mother Noor Munir and brother, seeking LHC to stop the police from harassing them.

    The Inspector general of police (IGP) Punjab, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Station House Officer (SHO) were made respondents in the petition.

    Munir said that the police is harassing her and their family. She requested the court to put an end to it.

    During the hearing today (Friday), both The Minor and her husband were produced before the LHC.

    Earlier, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had allowed The Minor to decide her fate. The court said that its The Minor’s choice to go with her husband or her parents.

    In a three-page written order, the court stated: “In light of all the evidence, this is not a case of kidnapping.”

    The Minor along with her alleged husband Zaheer was produced in the Sindh High Court on June 6.

    The Minor went missing on April 16 from Karachi. Three videos of The Minor also surfaced in which the girl can be heard saying that she married out of her own free will, and claimed that she is 18 years of age. However, her father claims that she is not 18.

    A medical report revealed that The Minor’s age is between 16-17 years old.

  • Unavailability of head judge: LHC puts off plea seeking removal of Nawaz’s name from ECL

    Unavailability of head judge: LHC puts off plea seeking removal of Nawaz’s name from ECL

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday adjourned a petition seeking removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from the exit control list (ECL) due to the absence of head judge of the divisional bench.

    According to ARY News, the division bench hearing the petition seeking removal of the name of Nawaz Sharif from ECL was disbanded after absence of Justice Shahbaz Ali. The LHC registrar office cancelled the cause list due unavailability of the head judge of the bench.

    It is to be recalled that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as a proclaimed offender in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references in December 2020.

    The IHC divisional bench declared the PML-N supremo as a fugitive over his failure to appear in the court despite being summoned repeatedly. The court issued show-cause notices to the guarantors of the former premier.

    It is to be mentioned here that the PML-N supreme leader has been declared a proclaimed offender in two other cases, including the Toshakhana reference and illegal land allotment case.

  • LHC dismisses petition seeking ban on PUBG

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed a plea regarding banning the popular online mobile game PUBG on Monday.

    A resident of Lahore, Tanveer Sarwar, approached the LHC and filed a plea to ban the online mobile game after a violent murder in Lahore.

    The petitioner had to appear on the day of the hearing, however, he did not reach the court.

    As a result, the LHC discharged the application over the petitioner’s discontinuation of the case’s pursuit.

    The petitioner claimed in the application that PUBG is creating intolerance in society and causing detrimental effects on young minds.

    Last month, 18-year-old Ali Zain killed four members of his family in Lahore. An investigator found that the teenager was “addicted” to the online game PUBG.

    According to the murderer, he went to sleep after the murder with a sense of accomplishment. The bodies of his four family members were discovered on January 19.

    The Punjab Police had decided to request the federal and provincial governments to ban PUBG after this incident.

    On July 1, 2021, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) temporarily suspended PUBG in the country after it received multiple complaints from different segments of society. However, the ban was lifted later.

  • Justice Umar Ata Bandial becomes 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan, ceremony held in Islamabad

    Justice Umar Ata Bandial becomes 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan, ceremony held in Islamabad

    Justice Umar Ata Bandial took oath as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) at a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad today (Wednesday). He was administered the oath of office by President Arif Alvi.

    Justice Bandial will serve in the top judicial office until September 16, 2023. He has previously served as chief justice of the Lahore High Court.

    A day earlier, Justice Bandial while speaking at a full-court reference held in honour of the outgoing chief justice, criticised mainstream and social media alike for resorting to attacking judges rather than criticising their judgements.

    “The differences in judges’ opinions in matters of law arise from our individual perceptions and this diversity brings richness to our understanding,” said Justice Bandial.