| No unnecessary delay should be made in commercial matters: Justice Gulzar Ahmad | Punjab’s first commercial court inaugurated at ADR centre in Lahore

LAHORE   -  Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmad said Saturday that the justice system of the country needs to be expeditious and the state needs to make more investment for the purpose, so that it could be made more accessible to people.

While addressing the launching ceremony of a book “Citators of Civil & Criminal Law and district judiciary bench book” here on Saturday, he said that more judges were required to be appointed to the district judiciary besides improvements in structure and other facilities to secure the goal.

The CJP appreciated the efforts of the research cell of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in preparation of the book. He said that the book covered all major topics and hoped that it would prove beneficial for the district judiciary in managing and deciding the cases speedily. However, it was not an alternative to research, as the work of a judge was based on research and it was a laborious task, he added. He hoped that the book would improve with the passage of time and more topics would be added to it.

He said that COVID-19 also affected the working of the courts but all measures were taken to ensure that delivery of justice was not delayed. He said that the courts remained functional throughout the year, from lower courts to the apex court. He said that it was a matter of pride for the Punjab judiciary that the first commercial court of Pakistan was set up here. He said that no unnecessary delay should be made in commercial matters as it was directly related to the country’s economy and investment.

LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan also addressed the ceremony and appreciated the performance of the district judiciary, as it decided more cases in 2020 than the previous year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acting Director General Punjab Judicial Academy Chaudhry Muhammad Saleem, Senior Civil Judge, Lahore, Mazhar Hussain Ramay, District and Sessions Judge Lahore Sajjad Hussain Sindhar also addressed the ceremony.

LHC judges - Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem, and Justice Asjad Javaid Ghural- were also present, besides judicial officers and others.  

CJP Gulzar Ahmad gave away shields to lawyers, research officers and retired sessions judges, who took part in preparation of the book. Earlier, the CJP inaugurated the first commercial court of Punjab here at the ADR centre. LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and other LHC judges also accompanied the CJP.