Judicial matters: SC upholds civil judge’s reinstatement

LAHORE: A Supreme Court full bench on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Lahore High Court registrar and upheld reinstatement of a civil judge dismissed by the Lahore High Court Administration Committee for not passing a departmental examination.

Qurban Ali Shah had been reinstated by the Punjab Subordinate Judiciary Tribunal on his appeal against the LHC Administration Committee’s decision. The LHC registrar had then challenged the decision of the tribunal in the Apex Court.

On Tuesday, Advocate Hafiz Tariq Nasim, Shah’s counsel, submitted that the LHC’s conduct in the matter had been discriminatory. He said some civil judges who had passed the examination had secured the same marks as his client.

Additional Advocate General Khalid Khan told the bench that some of the judges who had been members of the LHC Administration Committee had been elevated to the Apex Court. He said he could not justify the decision to sack the civil judge in a situation where his marks were the same as those of some judges who were declared successful in the exam.

The full bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali dismissed the appeal of the LHC registrar and upheld the reinstatement of the civil judge.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2016.