One of the deposed judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Multan Bench, Justice Jehangir Arshad, refused to return his official car and vacate the official residence and shrugged off the notice issued by the Assistant Registrar, describing it unlawful because the assistant registrar is not authorised to ask him to return the car, he told newsmen here on Monday.
Justice Jehangir Arshad had refused to take oath under Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) on November 3 when General Pervez Musharraf clamped emergency in the country.
He said, "I am still a judge of the high court, I was neither notified about his retirement nor did remove from service, therefore, I would not return the official car." He said that since he had completed his three years as an LHC judge now it was his discretion to purchase this car or return. He, however, said he would not return this car until the authorities concerned offer him either to buy this vehicle or return it.
The LHC (Multan Bench) assistant registrar has served notices on deposed judges, Justice Jehangir Arshad, Justice Azmat Saeed, and Justice Ata Omer Bandial on December 1, asking them to return the official cars in their use and vacate the residences. Similarly, the Supreme Court (SC) administration on Sunday took back official cars and drivers from two deposed SC judges, Ghulam Rabbani and Raja Fayyaz Ahmad.
It is learnt that facilities such as official cars, drivers, gardeners and servants have been withdrawn from other deposed judges as well. Sources said the Supreme Court administration had also reiterated its demand to the deposed judges to vacate their official residences, but no deadline had been set. The deposed judges, including former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, were earlier asked to vacate their official residences by November 30.
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