150th anniversary: Relics from 11 districts collected for LHC museum

Celebrations will start in first week of November and end on December 10

LAHORE: Antiques from 11 district courts of Punjab have been collected to be put on display at the Lahore High Court (LHC) museum that is being set up to commemorate its 150th anniversary.

The district and sessions judges of these courts have collected and sent the antiquities to the high court following directions of LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.

While talking to The Express Tribune, an additional district and sessions judge, Kalim Khan who is the coordinator for the celebrations, said some district and sessions judges provided dubious information, which the LHC committee is not relying upon. “We are getting the origins of the antiques verified by officials of Lahore Museum and would then put them on display,” he said.

Celebrations for the 150th anniversary of LHC will start in the first week of November and would end on December 10.

From bygone years

The oldest of these is a shield from 1862 that has been sent in by the Lahore district and sessions judge. The other items he sent include an old pen holder, a piece of cloth, a bahi khata (accounts register from shops) of 1971 and a cash book of 1946-1947.

From Bahawalpur, the LHC has received a typewriter, lantern, searchlight, six seals of courts, five official stamps, process server belt and a tray.



A ceiling fan from 1904 has been received from Faisalabad while an ink absorber in a glass box was received from Gujrat. The district and sessions judge of Jhelum has sent a confidential box, iron locker and a pen holder.

The LHC has received the highest number of antiques (10) from Kasur that include a typewriter, Sheriff’s Petty account register, a register for payment of contingency bills (qabzaul wasool), roll of honour given to senior civil judges dated July 1, 1976, two photo albums containing pictures of old articles and buildings of Kasur, old entries in the register of district prison Kasur, along with photo of the jail that was established in 1929, two entries of sentence register of the prison for the year 1925, register with entries of under trial prisoners the prison from the year 1954 and a picture of Kasur Museum and tomb of Nawab Wakeel Khan.

The district and sessions judge of Layyah has sent an antique wooden box while district and sessions judge of Mianwali has sent an old iron locker and five photographs of old lockers. The district and sessions judge of Sheikhupura has sent an old fire extinguisher.

From Sargodha, the LHC received a treasury box of Shahpur of year 1890, a dressing table with one chair which remained in use of the district magistrate/district judge of Shahpur, Wilson, during the 1800s, a ventilator fixed in the court of Shahpur district judge, a window installed in the court of Shahpur district judge, eaves fixed in the court of the district judge, register of FIRs filed between 1911 and 1913 and a register maintained at the Shahpur district prison in 1947.

From Toba Tek Singh, the court  has received an old wooden treasury box of civil nazir. The Gujranwala district has sent a wooden ladder and a lantern while from Muzaffargarh an iron has been received. The Dera Ghazi Khan judge has sent an iron closet. Judges of Multan, Rajanpur, Jhang and Vehari have sent a ceiling fan, typewriter from 1973, telegrams from 1861 and a Berlin made typewriter respectively.

Around 15 different items have also been sorted out from the storeroom of the LHC and have been selected for display at the museum.

About 32 different books printed between 1797 to 1867 have also been collected.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2016.