LHC admits irregularities in CJs authority case

Supreme Court's Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail has observed that irregularities will continue to prevail at provincial high courts as long as relevant rules are not made.

Justice Mandokhail was part of a bench that heard on Friday a petition seeking to regulate powers of the chief justices (CJs) of the country's various high courts.

Earlier, the petitioner's lawyer, Mian Daud, revealed that some CJs gave increments of up Rs100m to certain high court employees. He said an employee at a provincial high court is now getting a salary equivalent to a high court judge thanks to these generous increments.

"There is also a case in which three notifications were issued [for the increment of an employee] in a single day," he added. Justice Mandokhail noted that judges should learn to exercise their authority in a proper manner.

During the hearing, the additional attorney general informed the court that the LHC had submitted its reply to the court notice. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar noted that the high court had not rejected the allegations levelled by the petitioner.

He noted that as the petition contained evidence with regard to the LHC only, the petition should be limited to the provincial high court. The court later directed the petitioner to modify his petition. The LHC was also asked to appoint its counsel. The case was later adjourned for three weeks.