PESHAWAR: S.M. Atiq Shah, Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court formally launched evening courts in Peshawar, which have started holding regular sessions.
The opening event was graced by the presence of Registrar of Peshawar High Court Muhammad Zaib, Principal Secretary to the Chief Justice Adil Majeed, District Sessions Judge Peshawar Inamullah Wazir, Senior Civil Judge Arshad Ali Mehmood along, with other judicial officials.
At the occasion Chief Justice S.M. Atiq Shah examined the established courts and engaged with the Additional District Judges on duty offering guidance to guarantee the swift administration of justice and the timely resolution of outstanding cases.
Addressing the press, the Registrar emphasized that evening courts were initially launched in Abbottabad and currently two second-shift courts are functioning in Peshawar. The main aim of these courts is to provide justice and serve those unable to appear in court during the day thus speeding up the resolution of cases.
The Registrar added that similar requests for evening courts have been received from Kohat and Mardan, and measures are being taken to address any concerns raised by lawyers while maintaining a strong collaborative relationship between the bar and the bench.
PHC seeks detailed dengue prevention report from health department
On Monday, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has shown displeasure with the efforts made to control dengue in the province and has asked the Health Department for a report.
The issue arose during the hearing of a dengue control petition, overseen by Chief Justice S.M. Atiq Shah. The Director General of Health appearing in court remarked that dengue prevention is a shared duty, not the responsibility of the Health Department alone. He mentioned that a dengue control strategy is developed each January encompassing 19 departments, in total.
The DG Health also notified the court that District Police Officers (DPOs) were not part of the plan before. Steps will be implemented this year to include them.
Chief Justice Atiq Shah directed the Health Department to submit a report outlining the difficulties encountered in dengue control and the measures being implemented to address them. The court additionally inquired if dengue patients received treatment or were billed and ordered that the report include comprehensive statistics.
At the hearing the Advocate General noted that although dengue cases had risen unusually in 2022 government actions had effectively managed to control the situation.
The court adjourned the hearing indefinitely after directing the Health Department and other relevant stakeholders to submit the detailed report.
