Islamabad:

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice, Aalia Neelum, has formed a larger bench to hear a plea filed by the government against suspension of a retention law, maintenance of public order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960.

One day earlier, on Thursday, CJ Aalia Neelum reserved her order while hearing an application for an early hearing of a petition filed against LHC’s last year’s order. CJ revealed his order on Friday and announced the formation of a larger bench to hear the government appeals.

LHC on November 1, 2024, temporarily withheld the Deputy Commissioners (DCS) in Punjab from issuing further detention orders in accordance with section 3 of the MPO Regulation 1960.

Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq adopted the order while hearing a petition filed by a PTI leader during the last hearing of the case, claiming that PTI’s lawyer Azhar Siddique had raised an objection to the bench, which consisted of Justice Neelum, claiming the case was still pending at the Court Rafiq.

He argued that the bench consisting of CJ had no jurisdiction to hear this case. He said Justice Rafiq had already investigated the case in detail.

“Justice Amjad Rafiq had issued a residence order in accordance with the law,” he said. CJ noted that Justice Rafiq was currently hearing cases on LHC’s Multan Register.

Siddique claimed that Bench of Justice Amjad Rafiq was in Lahore on March 21 and that the case cannot be erected before this bench. However, CJ rejected his claim and asked him to “stay quiet”. She later reserved her order in the case in the middle of protest from the lawyer.