Celebrations begin: Top judge urges judiciary to work on merit

LHC chief justice hails judges for deciding cases despite facing immense pressure

LAHORE: Punjab’s top judge paid glowing tributes to the judges working bravely for ensuring justice in the province and deciding cases on merit despite facing immense pressure.

“There are brave and honest judges sitting in the LHC building, who hand in decisions in accordance with law and do not take any pressure in deciding cases,” LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said while addressing the opening ceremony of the festivities planned for the 150th anniversary of the LHC on Tuesday.

Former chief justices, sitting judges of LHC, district and sessions judges, provincial and federal law officers and bar representatives were also present at the event and jointly hoisted the newly prepared LHC flag.

The celebrations are expected to last until December 10 with all festivities scheduled to take place on Saturdays and Sundays.

Addressing the participants, Justice Mansoor said the institutions could not progress and move forward if everyone did not work collectively by keeping all differences aside. “The bar associations are our strength and this 150th anniversary celebrations cannot be a proper function without bar representatives who fought fight for the supremacy of law,” he said.

He saluted the judges, who, according to him, handed in decisions under challenging circumstances and also lauded the services of the court employees, claiming they were the actual people working behind the judges.



The chief justice said the journey of 150th anniversary was not only the journey by high court judges but also of the district judges as well as bar associations.  The Pakistan Bar Council, Punjab Bar Council, Lahore High Court Bar Association and other bars were all invited to the ceremony.

The LHC’s historical journey started in 1866 as there was no formal judicial system before it. The first judicial commissioner was AA Roberts and then the designation of judicial commissioner was converted into the title of chief justice in 1884. Later its name was decided as Lahore High Court.

“This is our national responsibility to keep our history alive,” Justice Mansoor added, saying the LHC building was a reflection of the fact the path of justice had no religious biases or discrimination related to cast and creed.

He added the architects, who designed the LHC, had also kept the religious affiliations of the subcontinent’s people in mind and dispelled the impression the court would give importance to any specific religion.

The opening ceremony did not hinder any court work as the work day ends at three in the afternoon.

After the inauguration, the second event will take place on November 5 with a symposium at Bahawalpur and a conference at districts courts of Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah and Rajanpur.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.