March 02, 2007	Friday	Safar 12, 1428

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LAHORE, March 1: The Punjab government has promulgated an ordinance to pave the way for the establishment of the first-ever judicial academy in the province for the training of officers and officials of the subordinate judiciary.

So far, judicial officers in Punjab are getting training from the Federal Judicial Academy, Islamabad.

The provincial government had now decided to establish its own academy because of less training opportunities for its judicial officers in the federal institution, official sources informed Dawn here on Thursday.

They said that Governor Khalid Maqbool had promulgated on Wednesday the Punjab Judicial Academy Ordinance, 2007.

Punjab had no training academy for the high court judges while Sindh was the only province to have such a facility for judicial officers, they said.

According to the ordinance, the academy will develop capacity, professional competency and ethical standards of judicial officers (from civil to district and sessions judges) and court officials, enabling them to efficiently dispense with justice.

The academy headquarters will be established in Lahore. It will impart pre-service and in-service training, develop skills and techniques for court and case management, delay reduction, alternate dispute resolution and judgment writing.

It will conduct examinations and award certificates and diplomas, develop training courses relating to administration of justice, including the use of information technology, hold conferences, seminars, lectures and workshops relating to court management, administration of justice, law and development and legislative drafting.

The academy will publish books, journals, research papers and reports on important topics, promote research on case management, court management, trial skills and judicial reasoning, encourage legal and constitutional research, inculcate and promote ethical values and standards in judicial officers and court personnel.

It will use modern techniques for imparting judicial training on a par with international standards.

The Lahore High Court chief justice will head its board of management. The members will include two high court judges and its registrar, Punjab planning and development board chairman, additional chief secretary, and secretaries of the finance and law departments.