LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum has reshuffled the administrative responsibilities among the seven-member administration committee.

The chief justice heads the administration committee, which has been reconstituted following the elevation of two of its members – former chief justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to the Supreme Court.

Besides CJ Neelum, the current members of the committee include senior puisne judge Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi.

According to a notification, the chief justice has appointed the senior puisne judge as the monitoring/administrative judge of the accountability courts in Punjab.

Justice Khan will also work as a member of the Provincial Judicial Development Fund and the committee for grant of fitness certificate for enrolment as advocates of the Supreme Court.

Justice Najafi has been appointed monitoring judge of the anti-corruption courts, commercial courts and the research centre at the LHC principal seat as well as three regional benches. He has also been assigned audit of the district judiciary of the province in addition to member of the committee for grant of fitness certificates for the enrolment as advocates of the Supreme Court.

The chief justice nominated Justice Sheikh as monitoring judge of the intellectual property tribunal, environmental protection tribunal, child protection court and the museum of the LHC. He will also deal with all cases relating to grant of no objection certificate (NOC) for passport and visa in respect of the LHC establishment (BPS-19 and above) and the judicial officers.

Justice Sadaqat has become a monitoring judge for the special court customs, taxation & anti-smuggling, banking courts (recovery of loans), special court (offences in banks) and special court central. He has also been assigned the audit of the high court.

Justice Mirza has been nominated monitoring judge of the control of narcotics substance court, consumer protection courts, drug courts, and the jails in the province. He will also deal with all types of permission/NOCs of the judicial officers, the appointment of oath commissioners and the contempt of court cases received from the district judiciary.

Justice Rizvi will act as monitoring judge of the Punjab livestock tribunal, revenue appellate tribunal, LDA tribunal, labour courts, family courts, and the antiterrorism courts of the province.

Chief Justice Neelum, as usual, will oversee the case management plan, including issuance of roster, cause lists and other related ancillary matters.

The directorate of district judiciary, the directorate of judicial and case management, and Punjab judicial academy also come under the supervision of the chief justice.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024