Major reshuffle in Punjab judiciary

Fifty-three district and sessions judges reassigned to different stations; 22 directed to report to LHC

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has undertaken a significant reshuffle in the subordinate judiciary, transferring district and sessions judges who were handling high-profile political cases from one district to another or directing them to report to the high court.

As per a notification signed by LHC Registrar Irfan Ahmad Saeed, 53 district and sessions judges were transferred to different stations, while 22 were instructed to report to the LHC for further orders.

Among the judges asked to report to the court are Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Izaj Ahmad Buttar and Special Judge Central Bakht Fakhar Bahzad. Judge Buttar was presiding over cases involving several PTI leaders and workers, related to their alleged involvement in an attack on Jinnah House, the residence of Lahore Corps Commander, following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9.

Read ATC sends Imaan Mazari on three-day physical remand

Judge Bahzad, on the other hand, was handling various political cases, including one against PTI President Parvez Elahi and his family members for alleged money laundering. The judge had also acquitted former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others in a Rs16 billion money laundering case.

District and Sessions Judge Aslam Gondal, who had granted bail to Parvez Elahi in a suspicious transactions case, was also directed to report to the LHC for further orders.

The LHC appointed District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Khalid Bashir from Faisalabad as the LHC Registrar and District and Sessions Judge Tanveer Akbar from Lahore as the LHC director-general of case management.

Additionally, District and Sessions Judge Qaiser Nazir Butt from Kasur was designated as the district and sessions judge for Lahore. As per the notification, the LHC instructed these officers to assume their new positions by September 4.