LHC verdict on LHCBA elections controversy
Shares
LAHORE: (APP) The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday disposed of petitions regarding Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) elections dispute after the parties agreed to hold the elections through biometric as well as manual voting.
The court was apprised that the parties had agreed that voters registered under the biometric system would cast through votes electronically whereas non-registered voters would be allowed to cast their votes through ballot papers, during the proceedings in chamber. Azam Nazir Tarar, a member of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), told the court that the council had withdrawn the decision of holding elections through manual voting.
LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the petitions filed by two presidential candidates for upcoming LHCBA elections, Advocate Khurram Latif Khosa and Ch Zulifqar Ali.
It is pertinent to mention here that the court had given an opportunity to parties to decide the issue themselves through negotiations after hearing their stance on earlier Tuesday.
Khosa, who is contesting with the majority support of PPP-backed faction of lawyer, stated the PBC ordered manual polling on the request of Asma Jahangir-backed group's candidate, Ramzan Chaudhry.
He said PBC Vice-Chairman Ahsan Bhoon passed the impugned order without any lawful reason, claiming that 11 out of 14 candidates supported biometric polling process. He argued the PBC could not interfere in the affairs of the LHCBA.
Advocate Chaudhry, the candidate of Hamid Khan group, had sought directions to hold election through biometric voting. LHCBA's former president Shafqat Chohan and Advocate Tipu Salman Makhdoom, representing Zulfiqar, told the court the bar elections had been conducted through electronic polling for the past two years after an approval given by its general house.
