A lawyer allegedly set fire to his official courtroom seat on Thursday after a judge declined to deliver a judgment that had reportedly remained reserved for nearly 11 months in a civil land dispute case. The incident took place at the Hyderabad Circuit Bench of the Sindh High Court after Justice Jawad Akbar Sawana announced that he would not pronounce the pending judgment in the case originating from Nawabshah. According to officials, Sikander Bhatti, who was representing one of the parties in the dispute, allegedly set the seat on fire in protest following the announcement. The incident has drawn attention to delays in the delivery of judgments and the frustration such delays can cause among litigants and legal representatives.

Bhatti’s reported action followed the judge’s decision not to issue the judgment, which had been reserved for approximately 11 months. Ayaz Tunio, president of the Hyderabad High Court Bar Association, said the prolonged delay had tested the lawyer’s patience. “The judgement has been pending for the last 11 months, and lawyer Sikander Bhatti finally lost his patience today in court,” Tunio said while describing the incident. His remarks linked the protest to the extended wait for a judicial decision in the civil land dispute. However, the available information did not provide further details about the parties involved in the case, the land at the centre of the dispute or the specific reasons the judgment had not been delivered.

The incident occurred inside the court premises following the announcement by Justice Sawana. According to officials, Bhatti allegedly set fire to the official seat he used in court after learning that the reserved judgment would not be pronounced. The reported act transformed a dispute over judicial delay into an incident involving the conduct of a lawyer within a courtroom. The available account did not specify the extent of the damage caused by the fire, whether anyone was injured or whether court proceedings were suspended following the incident. Details about any immediate response by court staff, security personnel or law enforcement authorities were also not provided.

Also Read: Houthi Attacks Reportedly Damage Aircraft At Riyadh Airport Amid Escalating Regional Tensions

Tunio said the Hyderabad High Court Bar Association would conduct an inquiry into the incident. The proposed inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the lawyer’s actions, although the available information did not specify its scope, timeline or the possible consequences. The bar association president also pointed to several reserved judgments that he said had remained pending before Justice Sawana for months. According to Tunio, these delays had contributed to frustration among litigants awaiting decisions in their cases. His comments suggest that the concern raised by the incident extends beyond a single civil dispute, although no comprehensive figures or case-by-case details about the pending judgments were provided.

Judgments reserved by courts are decisions that judges announce they will deliver at a later date after hearing the parties and considering the relevant material. While reserving a judgment allows time for judicial consideration, prolonged delays can leave litigants uncertain about the resolution of disputes and the next steps available to them. Civil land disputes can have significant consequences for the parties involved, particularly when the outcome determines competing claims over property. In this case, the reported delay of nearly 11 months was specifically highlighted by the bar association president as a source of frustration. The available information, however, does not establish why the judgment remained pending or whether the court had communicated a revised date for its delivery.

The incident has raised two distinct issues: the delay in delivering a reserved judgment and the conduct of a lawyer who allegedly responded by setting fire to courtroom furniture. The bar association’s proposed inquiry may help establish the circumstances of the episode and determine what action, if any, is warranted under applicable professional or legal rules. At the same time, the concerns raised by Tunio have placed renewed attention on the experience of litigants waiting for judicial decisions. Further information would be needed to clarify the status of the land dispute, the reasons for the delay and whether any formal action has been initiated against Bhatti. For now, the reported incident remains under scrutiny, with the bar association indicating that it intends to investigate what happened.

Also Read: Putin Assures Iran’s Pezeshkian Of Moscow’s Support Amid Escalating Middle East Conflict