LAHORE, Sept 2: The confirmation of four judges in the Lahore High Court has been notified by President Pervez Musharraf.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry is administering oath of the office to Justices Sheikh Abdur Rashid, Sardar Mohammad Aslam , Shaikh Hakim Ali and Mohammad Bilal Khan at the high court on Friday (today).

The four judges were confirmed a year after their appointment as additional judges on Sept 3, 2003, on the recommendation of the chief justice. Justice Mohammad Muzammil Khan has been given an extension of one year in the office while Justices Mian Mohammad Akram Baitu and Nasim Sabir have been relieved. They have since relinquished the charge of the office.

The exit of two more judges has increased vacancies in the LHC to 17. The high court has a sanctioned strength of 50 judges and it has at present 33. Justice Bashir A Mujahid is due to retire on Nov 1 this year after which the number of judges will come down to 32.

The LHC is currently without an Ehtesab bench because Justices M Javed Buttar and Syed Tassaduq Husain Jilani, who were heading the benches, have been elevated to the Supreme Court.

Similarly, there is no tribunal left to decide the cases of lawyers' professional misconduct and corruption after the elevation of Justice Buttar. The number of such cases pending for adjudication has already risen to 224 while 95 appeals are also still to be decided.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry recommended six persons for appointment as LHC judges about six months ago. The president has yet to take a decision.

BENCHES: Chief Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry on Thursday appointed two Ehtesab appellate benches to hear appeals against cases decided by NAB courts. The first bench comprises justices Mian Mohammad Najamuzzaman and Bashir A. Mujahid and the second Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and Chaudhry Iftikhar Husain.