PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has decided to launch ‘double-docket court regime’ as a pilot project in the district judiciary in the provincial capital and Abbottabad, where the assigned judicial officers will work in two shifts.

In this regard a circular was recently issued to the district and sessions judges of Peshawar and Abbottabad by the PHC registrar, Mohammad Zeb Khan, conveying them the decision and the standard operating procedures (SOPs) detailing the scope, jurisdiction, structure, notification and implementation modalities.

The circular, issued on Sept 1, provides that in pursuant to the recommendations of the National Judicial (Policy-making) Committee meeting held on Aug 18, 2025, Chief Justice S M Attique Shah approved the launch of double-docket courts (DDC) regime in the district judiciary of Peshawar and Abbottabad.

About the court timings in the SOPs, a schedule has been given according to which the morning docket would be from 7.30am to 1.30pm, whereas the evening docket (second shift) would be from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.

Assigned judicial officers to work in two shifts

PHC has also recommended to the provincial government that judges and court staff assigned to the DDC should be entitled to half of their basic pay as an additional incentive allowance.

“This restructured timing is aimed at increasing daily disposal while maintaining judicial quality through adequate compensation and manageable workload distribution,” states the relevant SOPs.

It is pertinent to mention that the NJPMC in a recent meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi had endorsed the piloting of a DDC regime in select districts on need basis with optional participation, stating that it was in line with its commitment to expeditious justice.

According to the SOPs the DDC should exercise jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters with specific focus on urgent and sensitive categories.

In civil jurisdiction the DDC would deal with cases related to family matters, rent disputes and cases involving injunctive reliefs.

Similarly, in criminal jurisdiction the DDC would deal with cases involving female accused and juvenile offenders, narcotics cases, and offences carrying punishment of seven years or less imprisonment.

The SOPs state that this dual focus approach is designed to ensure efficient handling of time-sensitive and socially impactful litigation.

It is stated that the district and sessions judges of the respective districts should take lead in the operationalisation.

The judges have been asked to hold consultation under the framework of the Bench-Bar Liaison Committee with the local bar associations to devise and settle workable modalities.

Under the SOPs, case allocation must ensure balance of workload and alignment with the nature of the court’s jurisdiction and fixation of cases in civil matters should be at the mutual consent of the parties or their counsels.

The district and sessions judges of the two districts were asked to conduct a performance review of the pilot project after three months of implementation.

According to the SOPs, the evaluation should be based on different indicators including: disposal rate and case clearance ratio; reduction in pendency; quality and timeliness of adjudication; feedback from stakeholders (bar, litigants, and staff).

A review report would be submitted to the high court at the end of the pilot project for assessment and further directions.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2025