Challenge to membership order

Officers will be awarded a qualification

The Masonic Order and three police officers in Northern Ireland have won the right to challenge a force order to declare membership of a variety of organisations.

Mr Justice Weatherup has granted leave for a judicial review of the chief constable's order that officers must comply with the Registration of Notifiable Memberships as recommended in the Patten Report.

Besides the Grand Lodge of Freemasons, the list includes the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Orange Order, Knights of St Columbanus and the Royal Black Institution.

The legal action was granted at the High Court in Belfast on Wednesday.

When the application for leave first came before the court last week, a lawyer for PSNI officers Michael Walker and Martin Whittle said: "This is putting a black spot on the heads of officers."

Disciplinary action

The application was adjourned until Wednesday when the judge said reservations about the Masonic Order's standing had been addressed as the name of a serving police officer, George Fletcher, had been added to their application.

The judge added: "At this stage we are only concerned with the granting of leave and it is only necessary to present an arguable case."

John Larkin, QC, for the Masonic Order, said the question of interim relief arose pending the hearing in September.

He said he was advised by counsel for the chief constable that while he could not preclude the possibility of disciplinary action to comply with time limits there would not be any completion pending the determination of the case.