LHC CJ overrules office objection in PITB project case

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Tuesday overruled an office objection on a public interest petition questioning alleged corruption committed in the computerised case management system installed in the court by Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). The office had objected to the maintainability to the petition, saying the registrar of the LHC could not be made a party. Advocate Azhar Siddique, the petitioner’s counsel, told the chief justice that he sought no relief against the registrar but made him pro forma respondent. A pro forma respondent is a respondent against whom no relief is sought and arrayed as a party as a matter of formality. LHC chief justice overruled the office objection and also hailed the lawyer for doing public interest litigation. The CJ observed that public interest litigation was a good way to protect the rights of the citizens. In the petition, the petitioner had contended that the PITB installed the case management system in the LHC with a cost of Rs500 million. He alleged that huge money had been misappropriated in the project. He said a forensic report of the project had not been made public to hide the corruption.