ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court admitted on Tuesday a petition for regular hearing to settle a dispute over seniority of the Lahore High Court judges.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani summoned Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt to assist the court.

Advocate Aslam Awan had moved the petition, requesting the court to determine seniority of 18 high court judges from a list issued by the LHC administration committee on Dec 14 last year.

The petitioner prayed for declaring the list as illegal and without lawful authority.

He argued that seniority of the judges has to be determined from the date of their permanent appointment and oath-taking, and not from the date of appointment as an additional judge.

“The chief justice has to fix the seniority of judges only under Article 193 of the Constitution as an additional judge is not a judge of the high court.”

Mr Awan pleaded that a judge has to take the charge of his office afresh after his appointment under Article 193 otherwise he/she was not empowered to act as the judge.

He contended that the judges’ seniority was an important matter because the independence of judiciary directly affected the public at large.

The court will resume hearing in the first week of next month.