Islamabad High Court (IHC) Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior puisne judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has ordered that practice and rules of procedure should be uploaded on the official website of IHC within 48 hours.
He has also directed that copies of the rules be provided to the Islamabad High Court Bar Association and the district bar associations. The judge has observed that if the order is not complied with, he will summon the IHC registrar.
Justice Kayani made these observations while hearing a PTCL-related case. During the proceedings, in response to a court inquiry regarding the Rules of Practice and Procedure, an attorney expressed ignorance and stated that he was seeking to obtain the rules through a formal request.
Justice Kayani noted that the IHC had drafted rules that even judges themselves had not received. “I’m a judge and I didn’t receive them… so how could you?” he said. He added that although the full court had approved the rules, they were never made public, describing the rules of practice and procedure as a “secret document.”
He directed the lawyer to write to the registrar for the release of the rules, but noted that even after making a request, it could take up to three months. “If a document is required here, the registrar often takes months to deliver it,” he noted.
The lawyer stated that he had already inquired with the Ministry of Justice and would make a formal application. The court approached the petitioner’s counsel and observed that if the order was not complied with, the counsel could file a criminal case.
The court reiterated its direction that the rules should be uploaded on the website within 48 hours and warned that non-compliance would lead to criminal proceedings where the registrar was summoned. When the lawyer requested that the case be fixed for hearing again on January 29, Judge Kayani noted that it was uncertain whether he would be present on that date. Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing without setting a date.
