Ten new Lahore High Court judges take oath

Of all the 60 judges, 29 are confirmed whereas 31 are additional judges

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik administered oath to 10 newly appointed additional judges of the LHC on Monday. With the elevation of the judges, the number of judges at the LHC has reached 60 – the total sanctioned strength of LHC judges.

The new judges are Justice Shahid Mubeen, Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem, Justice Mushtaq Ahmad Tarrar, Justice Farrukh Gulzar Awan, Justice Erum Sajjad Gull, Justice Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi, Justice Aslam Javed Minhas, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sajid Mehmood Sethi and Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.

The ceremony was held at the judges’ lounge of the LHC and LHC Registrar Habibullah Amir conducted the proceedings. Judges working at the principal seat, federal and provincial law officers, senior lawyers, officers of the LHC and families and friends of the newly appointed judges were present.

Of the 60 judges, 29 are confirmed whereas 31 are additional judges.

After taking oath as the 43rd LHC chief justice, CJ Manzoor Ahmad Malik proceeded to fill the vacancies of judges up to its sanctioned strength with the idea to provide expeditious justice to litigants. The sanctioned strength was raised from 50 to 60 in 2012.

Lower Judiciary

Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik exonerated Akramul Haq Chaudhry, a civil judge at Kehror Lal Esan and now in Gujranwala, of charges against him and recalled the notification of major penalty of reduction to a lower grade from civil judge class-I (BS-18) to civil judge, class-III (BS-17).

Justice Malik also dropped disciplinary proceedings against Toba Tek Singh Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Muhammad Amir Habib, Bhakkar ADSJ Muhammad Masood Hussain, and Ferozwala Civil Judge Saeed Ahmad Awan. They were exonerated of all charges.

The CJ also recalled the notification of minor penalty on withholding annual increments for three years and dropped proceedings against Gujranwala ADSJ Rao Abdul Jabbar Khan, now district and sessions judge, advising him to be careful in the future.

The CJ changed major penalty of dismissal from service imposed on Hafizabad DSJ Muhammad Mujahid Hussain Sheikh to a major penalty of compulsory retirement from service. The CJ also recalled the notification of minor penalty on stopping two increments on Mahboob Elahi Sheikh (late) and dropped proceedings against him forthwith.

The CJ granted proforma promotion to Mailsi ADSJ Muhammad Iqbal Khan as a senior civil judge with effect from April 3, 2001, and ADSJ from May 6, 2002. The officer junior to him, Muhammad Shafiq Butt was also promoted.

All noted decisions have adhered to judgments passed by the Punjab Subordinate Judiciary Service Tribunals, Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2015.