KARACHI, Oct 1: Chief Justice of Sindh High Court, Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, has stressed the need for improvement in terms of quality of service of judicial officers, appointment of competent judicial officers, promotions on merits rather than routine seniority basis.

“Our goal can be achieved by promoting competent officers, proper scrutiny monitoring and continuous evaluation of judges of subordinate judiciary,” he observed. “Judging an average officer as good actually is injustice to really good officer. This must be avoided,” the chief justice said while inaugurating the provincial judicial conference, organized by the Sindh High Court, in collaboration with the ministry of law, justice, and human rights under access to justice programme at a local hotel in Karachi.

He said writing ACR is as solemn as justice to be done between parties arrayed before the court.

Chief Justice called for evolving consensus in order to determine competence and writing of ACRs by the reporting officer with regard to capability and quality of judgments. “Docile officers have no reason to be judged.”

He said that ACRs or performance evaluation reports (PERs) shall be truly reflective of a judicial officers’ worth.

He said that PERs undertaken by the District and Sessions judges at times fell short of main purpose and instead were apparently affected by some lenient views.—APP