Devolving governance: Judges to head tribunals for LG elections

SHC CJ gave his consent on a request by the provincial government.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court chief justice has accepted the provincial government’s request to allow lower court judges to head the tribunals after the local government elections, The Express Tribune learnt on Tuesday.

These judges of the district and sessions courts in all districts will head the tribunals to hear and decide on election-related litigation. According to sources, the administration deputy secretary for the local bodies department had made a request to the chief justice to appoint the judges to perform appellate duties.

In his request, secretary Dr Mustafa Suhag said the Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the Sindh government to hold local bodies elections in the province on December 7. Therefore, necessary steps are being taken by the election commission of Pakistan, as well as, the provincial government to hold the elections, he stated.



Since the Election Commission of Pakistan has directed that the authority against the decisions of the returning officers should be given to the district and sessions judges, he requested the high court chief justice, Maqbool Baqar, to give his consent. Suhag further informed that the government has already forwarded the lists to the election body for appointing deputy commissioners as district returning officer and assistant commissioners as returning officers. The Mukhtiarkars and other officers are nominated to perform duties as assistant returning officers during the forthcoming local government elections, he explained.

Judicial sources, privy to the process, confirmed to The Express Tribune that CJ Baqar has given his consent.

Previous perception

Earlier, there was a view in the provincial judiciary that the judiciary should stay away from the elections, said sources, adding that this was decided by the Supreme Court before the general elections. However, the apex court had volunteered the services of judicial officers to perform their duties as DROs, ROs and AROs on the special request made by the then chief election commissioner Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim.

Sources said the decision to once again volunteer the services of the judicial officers to head the election tribunals has been taken as the Balochistan and Lahore high courts did the same.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th,2013.