LAHORE, Aug 13: The Lahore High Court was moved on Wednesday for the appointment of an acting chief justice as the office fell vacant after the departure of Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry abroad on Aug 5.

Supreme Court Bar Association executive committee member Tariq Aziz filed a petition seeking the appointment of the acting CJ to make the working of the LHC constitutional and legal.

The petitioner submitted that Article 196 of the Constitution required that whenever the CJ of a high court was absent from his duty or was unable to perform the functions of his office due to any other reason, the president would appoint one of the high court judges as the acting CJ.

“Since the sitting CJ is absent from his duty, the appointment of an acting CJ is mandatory as without such appointment the working of the LHC is neither lawful not constitutional,” he added.