The Lahore High Court has declared the business of running a snooker club as lawful and legitimate, ruling that it is a legal recreational activity not prohibited under any law.
Justice Jawad Zafar issued a five-page written verdict while allowing an appeal filed by citizen Muhammad Rashid, setting aside a trial court order that had directed the closure of his snooker club.
In the written judgment, the court observed that the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to conduct a lawful business. It held that billiards and snooker are not immoral activities nor are they banned under the law. The court ruled that businesses operating within the legal framework cannot be shut down indefinitely on the basis of vague or unsubstantiated complaints.
According to the judgment, the petitioner had been running a snooker club in Sargodha, providing recreational facilities to the public. However, a private complainant approached the area magistrate seeking closure of the club, alleging that it remained open late at night and caused noise in the locality.
The court noted that the magistrate had ordered the closure of the snooker club under Section 133 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It ruled that snooker clubs do not fall within the scope of Section 133, which is meant to address emergency and temporary public nuisances only.
The judgment further stated that orders passed under Section 133 must be limited and specific so as not to harm the economic rights of citizens. A complete ban on a lawful business, the court held, amounted to misuse of judicial authority.
Justice Jawad Zafar observed that concerns related to noise or operating hours could have been regulated through appropriate measures, rather than imposing a total shutdown. The trial court, the judgment added, had failed to correctly interpret the law.
The Lahore High Court consequently annulled the trial court’s order and allowed the petitioner to reopen his snooker club, subject to compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
