LAHORE, June 15: Security measures at the Sessions Court were exposed once again when two murder accused were gunned down and five others injured by their rivals in the court of Additional District & Sessions Judge Sadiq Masood on Saturday.

Witnesses and police said the suspects fled after completing their mission of firing in the courtroom and the retiring room of the judge despite police presence.

Jamaat Ali and Nisar Ali, involved in a murder case registered with the Batapur police, came to court to get their pre-arrest interim bail extended when their rivals led by Shahbaz and Nawaz appeared on the scene. Both groups had a scuffle outside the court of the AD&SJ after which armed men chased Jamaat and Nisar inside court and shot them. Arshad and Rizwan were among those who suffered injuries while trying to get shelter in the retiring room of the judge. The injured were shifted to the Mayo Hospital.

Police said nine members of both sides had been killed in property-related enmity.

The Islampura police registered a case under sections 302, 324, 148, 149 and 109 of PPC against seven nominated accused and their four unidentified accomplices on the complaint of Sughran Bibi of Nishtar Colony.

A police official claimed that the suspects entered the court with weapons with the help of lawyers. He said the lawyers usually did not cooperate with the police personnel deployed at the entry gates and the latter did not dare frisk them. Taking advantage of exemption to lawyers, the suspects managed to enter the court premises.

DIG (Operations) Muhammad Tahir Rai told Dawn that Jamaat and his nephew Nisar, who were on interim bail, had come to the court for routine hearing. He said the rival group led by Shahbaz, who is complainant of the case against the victims, opened fire in a well-planned move.

He said both groups were relatives and developed dispute over a six-kanal piece of land in Batapur some years ago. The DIG said Sub-Inspector Abdul Samee, who was guard-in-charge at the court, had been suspended from service along with another SI, a head constable and a constable. He said the HC and the constable were found absent from duty.

He said the police teams conducted raids at the residences of the suspects but found them locked.

Later in the evening, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, along with other judges, visited the sessions court. He directed the sessions judge and police higher-ups to heighten security.

Justice Bandial told the media that there would be a curfew-like situation in the sessions court from Monday as irrelevant persons would not be allowed to enter.

In May 2011, two brothers were shot dead in the court of an additional district and sessions judge. The assassin made good his escape.