In a speech to Lahore High Court members at the Multan bar, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa said on Friday that ‘If a judge does not give a verdict after hearing the arguments, there is no difference between him and a postman’.
Khosa was emphasising the importance of judges earning respect from members of society by making decisions on national issues.
He gave his speech in Seraiki saying that he was not a guest at the Multan bar but rather, it was his home as this was where he started his practise as a lawyer.
The speech was about declining standards of law practise and the factors influencing the decline. The CJP further added that numerous lawyers were being produced per year due to the ‘mushroom growth’ of private law colleges. However, he said that most of these lawyers do not end up getting the opportunity to advance their work and work with senior lawyers.
The CJP cited poor quality education in law colleges as one of the main reasons for the decline of law practising standards. He said “a student passing the first year of LLB is offered to teach students of first year” to get fee waiver for second year”.
He added “Unfortunately, today young lawyers do not have the opportunity to learn good traditions and practices from the seniors having 20 to 30 years’ experience.”
He claimed that because of this, young lawyers elect young representatives to head bars and as a result of this, most senior lawyers are kept away from bar politics.
Khosa emphasised the importance of introducing a system that would enable each young lawyer to get the chance to work with their seniors.
He also stated that another imbalance in the judicial system had been created due to the rise of legal cases in the nation. He explained, “In the past the judges could afford to listen to lawyers without haste because of a small number of cases, but now judges are unable to give ample time to lawyers to the extent of their satisfaction”.
Khosa believes the focus of the bar and bench should be the litigant. He explains this by saying “They should think about relief for the litigant at each step. When they do so, they will come to the court with proper preparation. If the lawyers do this, they will not seek adjournment”.
The Chief Justice then spoke about his attachment to the Multan bar, recalling his time at the bar and explaining that he was working there when the hall was initially constructed. He said that the city will always remain close to him and that he was proud of the fact that many senior and junior Supreme Court judges were from Multan.
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