LAHORE: The administration committee of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has reinstated three judicial officers as civil judges-cum-magistrates.

They are Muhammad Asadullah Siddiqui, Mazhar Elahi and Mazhar Gilani. The Punjab Subordinate Judicial Service Tribunal, consisting of three LHC judges, had allowed appeals of the judicial officers declaring their sacking illegal.

The committee meeting, head by LHC Chief Justice Khwaja Imtiaz Ahmed, granted proforma promotion to four district and sessions judges (D&SJs) from the dates when the officers junior to them were promoted.

They include Rana Muhammad Yousaf, Abdul Sattar, Mazhar Husain Chaudhry and Habibullah Amir. The request of another AD&SJ Khwaja Muhammad Ajmal for grant of proforma promotion as AD&SJ with effect from Nov 8, 2003, has been declined by the committee.

The committee initiated disciplinary proceedings against AD&SJs Muhammad Riaz Chopra, Muhammad Amer Habib and Muhammad Masood Hussain, civil judges Saeed Ahmad Awan, Muhammad Akram Nawab and Saima Rana while disciplinary proceedings were dropped against AD&SJs Malik Munir Ahmad Joyia, Muhammad Younas Aziz, Syed Amjad Ali Shah and Khizar Hayat Gondal.

Civil judge Gulzar Husain was removed from service while minor penalties of withholding of four future increments as well as stoppage of promotion for three years were imposed upon civil judge Faisal Naseem Mir. A minor penalty of censure was imposed upon AD&SJ Khizar Hayat Gondal and a minor penalty of withholding of promotion for three years was imposed upon ADSJs Muhammad Musharraf Hasan Sumra, Shahid Mahmood and Sadaqatullah Khan.

The committee issued a final show-cause notice for imposition of major penalty of removal from service to civil judge Sarwat Mumtaz Syeda and warning to two civil judges Naveed Kamran Langrial and Nadeem Khizar Ranjha to be remain careful in the future.

Requisitioning of special reports of AD&SJ Shaukat Mahmood, AD&SJ Muhammad Tariq, Civil Judge Malik Allah Ditta Anjum, Civil Judge Barkat Ali, Civil Judge Muhammad Tariq and Civil Judge Ghulam Murtaza Uppal have been discontinued.

The committee upgraded posts of superintendents to office of D&SJs from BS-16 to BS-17. The committee also appointed four recommendees Abid Husain, Shafqat Husain, Yasir Mahmood and Sheharyar civil judges-cum-magistrates.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014