RAHIM YAR KHAN: As many as 36 posts of judges, including additional district and sessions judges, senior civil judges and civil judges, out of total 80, are lying vacant in the district.

According to a sessions court document, there are total 19 posts of judges, including a district and sessions judge (D&SJ) and 18 additional district and sessions judges (AD&SJs) in four tehsils of the district.

In the district, there are eight sanctioned posts of AD&SJs, but only four have been filled.

In Sadiqabad tehsil, there are three AD&SJ posts and appointments have been made against all of these.

In Khanpur tehsil, two AD&SJs are working, while two such posts are vacant, while in Liaqatpur tehsil, three AD&SJs are working against as many sanctioned posts.

However, the situation in the civil courts of four tehsils is alarming, where some 50 percent posts of judges are lying vacant.

In RYK only 11 civil judges are working against 23 sanctioned posts.

Similarly, in Sadiqabad there are 10 sanctioned posts of civil judges, but only four have been filled.

In Khanpur, only five civil judges are working against 12 sanctioned posts, while in Liaqatpur seven civil judges posts have been filled and five are vacant.

District Bar Association President Muhammad Farooq Warind told Dawn that the bar had been demanding that the vacant posts of judges should be filled for providing speedy justice to people.

He said the prosecution work was being also badly affected because of shortage of prosecutors.

He said the shortage of judges and prosecutors resulted in backlog of thousands of cases.

The immediate posting of judges against all the vacant posts would ease the working of the lower judiciary, Mr Warind added.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2018