The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday barred local authorities from collecting fee for services, including toilet, parking and shoe-keeping, from visitors of shrines across Punjab.
LHC Chief Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan issued the verdict on a petition filed by a citizen named Haq Nawaz through his counsel Azhar Siddique last month against the collection of such charges.
The lawyer told the court that Auqaf department was allegedly collecting fees to provide the services of toilet and shoe-keeping, adding that the funds were later used to issue salaries of the employees.
The chief justice remarked that the management of shrines should be taken back from Auqaf if it is unable to handle it.
During the hearing, the chief justice questioned authorities about the legality of appointing persons at washrooms and the entry point of the shrine to charge an amount for keeping a pair of shoes in custody, Dawn News reported.
He remarked that the government should issue charity funds for the maintenance of washrooms used by visitors, who come to offer prayers.
The chief justice cited that he had recently visited Iran where no such fee is demanded from the visitors at shrines.
