Lahore High Court declares running a snooker club legal

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has declared the business of a snooker club a legitimate, legal, and recreational activity and has declared the trial court’s decision to close the snooker club null and void.

The court clarified that no law can ban the operation of a snooker club.

Justice Jawad Zafar gave the said decision in his 5-page written order on the appeal of citizen Muhammad Rashid.

The decision said that according to the Constitution of Pakistan, every citizen has the right to run a legal business and games like billiards and snooker are neither immoral nor prohibited under the law.

According to the court, any business operating within the legal scope cannot be closed for an indefinite period based on vague complaints.

The decision stated that the petitioner used to run a snooker club in Sargodha, where the public was provided with the entertainment of playing billiards games.

The opposing party filed a petition with the local magistrate alleging that the club remains open till late at night and is noisy.

The magistrate ordered the closure of the club under Section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The Lahore High Court ruled that the snooker club does not fall under the purview of Section 133 of the CrPC.

According to the court, the powers of Section 133 can be used only in cases of public disturbance of an emergency and temporary nature and the order given under it should be limited and specific so that no one’s economic rights are affected.

The judgment further said that a complete ban on business is an abuse of judicial powers.

‘If there were complaints about noise or working hours, they could have been regulated, but a complete closure was not necessary.’

The court also said that the trial court had not interpreted the rules correctly.

The Lahore High Court, while declaring the trial court’s decision null and void, allowed the petitioner to reopen the snooker club while adhering to all the rules.