Reserved judgments must be announced within 90 days, JC panel proposes

Subcommittee members review procedures, rules aimed at assessing efficiency and conduct of high court judges

ISLAMABAD:

The Judicial Commission’s subcommittee has proposed that reserved judgments must be announced within 90 days, as part of new rules being discussed to evaluate the performance of high court judges.

The subcommittee meeting, chaired by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, reviewed procedures and rules aimed at assessing the efficiency and conduct of high court judges, according to sources.

One of the key proposals discussed was linking judges’ performance to the timely disposal of cases, including a requirement to decide matters on the cause list daily. They further stated that all members of the subcommittee were directed to submit their recommendations in writing for further consideration.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi had formed two committees, led by Justice Mandokhail, to prepare draft rules for the annual judicial performance evaluation of high court judges, as well as criteria for the selection of judges for the constitutional benches.

The 26th Constitutional Amendment mandated that the Judicial Commission conduct annual performance evaluations of high court judges. If a judge is found to be inefficient, the commission may grant a period for improvement.

If the judge’s performance remains unsatisfactory after that period, the commission shall send its report to the Supreme Judicial Council. Article 175A(20) also states that the commission may create separate rules to establish effective standards for the performance evaluation of high court judges.