LHC directs family courts to expedite cases

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed family court judges across Punjab to actively manage trials, curb delays and ensure expeditious disposal of disputes.

LHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani also directed all district and sessions judges to obtain reports on every family suit pending for more than six months and ensure measures for their early disposal in accordance with the law.

The LHC judge issued the directions while dismissing a constitutional petition filed by Muhammad Iqbal Afzal, challenging a family court order closing his right to produce evidence.

Justice Kayani directed the trial court to conclude the pending proceedings on a day-to-day basis within 15 days and submit a compliance report.

He declared it a test case under the high court's supervisory jurisdiction and warned that prolonged delays caused by poor case management could render presiding judges answerable under the law governing judicial conduct.