GILGIT: Lawyers` organisations and subordinate judges in Gilgit-Baltistan continued boycott of court proceedings across the region on second consecutive day on Tuesday against the Supreme Appellate Court (SAC) Chief Judge Rana Mohammad Shamim for ordering suspension of the Chief Court registrar in a hotel room reservation case.

According to official sources, after eruption of judicial crisis by the strike of judgesand lawyers, police could not obtain bail of many accused from courts. And, in a bid to fill the judicial void, GB law department conferred judicial powers on deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners so they could grant remand of the accused and deal with immediate judicial matters.

Not a single case hearing could be conducted in courts across the region on Tuesday, as a result litigants faced difficulties.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday, an urgent meeting of GB Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association, ChiefCourt Bar Association, and district bar associations of Hunza, Nagar, Diamer, Astore, Skardu and Ghizer was held in Gilgit to discuss the latest situation. The participants termed the action of SAC chief judge as misuse of his authority.

The meeting accused thechief judge of favouring the hotel manager in the case. It pointed out that as the current judicial system in GB operated under statutory regulatory order (SRO), it failed to ensure basic human rights to people. They demanded constitutional judicial system be provided to people, and circuit bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan should be established in GB.

The meeting also showed reservation over the notification issued by GBlaw department conferring judicial powers to DCs and ACs and demanded its withdrawal.

The meeting decided that if the SAC chief didn`t withdraw the suspension orders until July 23 then the lawyers would consider filing a reference against him in the Supreme Judicial Council of GB.

The meeting also decided to convene a lawyers` convention in Gilgit to evolve a future strategy in that regard. The lawyers bodies also announced to continue boycott of court proceedings till July 23.Meanwhile, talking to Dawn, President of GB Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association, Mohammad Iqbal, claimed that Chief Court Registrar Mumtaz Ahmed was innocent. `Not only SAC chief judge insulted a serving judge but also humiliated GB judiciary and lawyers of the region by favouring a private hotel manager,` he said.

Mr Iqbal said what the registrar did was legal as he had got two rooms reserved at the hotel after receiving an of ficial request from the Peshawar High Court registrar that a high court judge along with his family would visit Gilgit.

It was the registrar`s official duty to accommodate the guest judge in Gilgit, he said. He added that as the guest house of the chief court was in use of judges and other officials of the Supreme Appellate Court and there was no other option for the registrar to arrange the accommodation for the visiting PHC judge and his family except to reserve a private hotel room for him.