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| Lahore High Court عدالتِ عالیہ لاہور | |
|---|---|
 Lahore High Court logo | |
 Lahore High Court Building | |
| Established | 21 March 1882 |
| Jurisdiction |  Punjab |
| Location | Principal Seat: Lahore-54000 Circuit Benches: Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi |
| Composition method | Judicial Commission of Pakistan |
| Authorized by | Constitution of Pakistan |
| Appeals to | Supreme Court of Pakistan |
| Appeals from | District Courts of Punjab |
| Judge term length | Till 62 years of age |
| Number of positions | 60 |
| Website | lhc |
| Chief Justice of Lahore High Court | |
| Currently | Shujaat Ali Khan |
| Since | 24th June 2024 |
The Lahore High Court (Urdu: عدالتِ عالیہ لاہور) is a provincial court house based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882.[1] The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over the province of Punjab. The High Court's principal seat is in Lahore, but there are benches in three other cities of the province: Rawalpindi, Multan and Bahawalpur.[2]
A proposal was sent by lawyers to set up new high court benches in Faisalabad, Sialkot, D.G.Khan and Gujranwala divisions but full court of Lahore High Court turned down this request.[3]
History
Creation
In 1849, the East India Company defeated the Sikh Empire and assumed control of administration within the Punjab. A Board of Administration was constituted and the Punjab was divided into Divisions, Districts and Tehsils. The Divisions were controlled by Commissioners, Districts by Deputy Commissioners and Tehsils by an Assistant and Extra Assistant Commissioners.[4]
The Board of Administration consisted of Sir Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence and Charles Grenville Mansel[5]
Chief Court of the Punjab Lahore High Court
In 1858 the Punjab, along with the rest of British India, came under the direct rule of the British crown and decisions with regard to administration and justice were now made under the authority of the monarch, Queen Victoria.[6] By 1864, a proliferation of court cases necessitated an expansion to the judicial structure in the province. The Punjab Courts Act, (XIX of 1865) introduced seven grades of courts, combining judicial and administrative functions and claiming jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. The Court of Tehsildar was the lowest court, whilst the Court of the Judicial Commissioner became the highest court in the land.[7]
Over time, as appeals to the Chief Court greatly increased, later Acts namely the Punjab Courts Act, (XVII of 1877) and Punjab Courts Act, (XVIII of 1884) repealed earlier Acts and restated the law regarding the courts' constitution, powers and jurisdiction.[5] Additional judges were appointed, and greater finality was granted to the decisions of the lower appellate courts.[5] By 1884, there were four classes of courts subordinate to the Chief Court, namely the Divisional Court, the Court of the District Judge, the Court of the Subordinate Judge, the Court of Munsif.[8]
Lahore High Court
On 1 October 1882, the Chief Court of the Punjab Court was elevated to the status of a Lahore High Court, becoming known as Lahore High Court, King-Emperor George V also appointed a Chief Justice and six puisne justices, and declared the Court's jurisdiction over the Punjab and Delhi provinces.[5]
The Government of India Act, 1935 removed the barrier that the Chief Justice must be a Barrister Judge and opened the position to Civilian Judges. An age limit of 60 years was set for High Court Judges.[5]
By virtue of the Government of India (High Court Judges) Order, 1937, a maximum number of Judges for the various High Courts in India was fixed. In each case the number so stated was exclusive of the Chief Justice but included all additional judges. For the Lahore High Court the maximum number was fixed at 15.[5]
The West Pakistan High Court
On 30 September 1955, the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan established the province of West Pakistan, and gave the Governor-General the power to establish the West Pakistan High Court, which was established in 1956. Judges from the Chief Court of Sind and the Judicial Commissioners Court at Peshawar became judges at the West Pakistan High Court.[9]
Creation Of Divisional Benches
On 1 January 1981, it was ordered that the Lahore High Court would create benches at Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi. The order also specified that the Lahore High Court judges could hold circuit courts anywhere in the province, with judges nominated by the Lahore High Court Chief Justice.[citation needed]
Chief Justices
The first Chief Justice at Lahore was Sir Henry Meredyth Plowden in 1880. The current Chief Justice is Shujaat Ali Khan, incumbent since 24 June 2024.
List of chief justices
The following table lists all the chief justices to date.[10]
| Portrait | Pakistan justice | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Court of the Lahore | ||||
| Sir Henry Meredyth Plowden | 1880 | 1895 | ||
| Sir Charles Arthur Roe | 1895 | 1898 | ||
| Sir William Ovens Clark | 1898 | 1909 | ||
| Sir Arthur Hay Stewart Reid | 1909 | 1914 | ||
| Sir Alfred Kensington | 1914 | 1915 | ||
| Sir Donald Campbell Johnstone | 1915 | 1917 | ||
| Sir Henry Adolphus Rattigan | 1917 | 1919 | ||
| Lahore High Court | ||||
| Sir Shadi Lal | 1920 | 1934 | First Indian Chief Justice of any High Court in India | |
| Sir John Douglas Young | 1934 | 1943 | ||
| Sir Arthur Trevor Harries | 1943 | 1946 | ||
| Sir Mian Abdul Rashid | 1946 | 1948 | ||
| Muhammad Munir | 1949 | 1954 | ||
| Sheikh Abdul Rahman | 1954 | 1958 | ||
| Muhammad Rustam Kayani | 1958 | 1962 | ||
| Manzur Qadir | 1962 | 1963 | ||
| Abdul Aziz Khan | 1963 | 1965 | ||
| Inamullah Khan | 1965 | 1967 | ||
| Waheed-ud-Din Ahmad | 1967 | 1969 | ||
| Qadeeruddin Ahmed | 1969 | 1970 | ||
| Sheikh Anwarul Haq | 1970 | 1972 | ||
| Sardar Muhammad Iqbal | 1972 | 1976 | ||
| Aslam Riaz Hussain | 1976 | 1978 | ||
| Maulvi Mushtaq Hussain | 1978 | 1980 | ||
| Shamim Hussain Qadri | 1980 | 1982 | ||
| Javed Iqbal | 1982 | 1986 | ||
| Ghulam Mujaddid Mirza | 1986 | 1988 | ||
| Abdul Shakurul Salam | 1988 | 1989 | ||
| Muhammad Rafiq Tarar | 1989 | 1991 | ||
| Mian Mahboob Ahmad | 1991 | 1995 | ||
| Khalil-Ur-Rehman Khan | 1996 | 1996 | ||
| Sheikh Ijaz Nisar | 1996 | 1997 | ||
| Sheikh Riaz Ahmad | 1997 | 1997 | ||
| Rashid Aziz Khan | 1997 | 2000 | ||
| Mian Allah Nawaz | 2000 | 2000 | ||
| Falak Sher | 2000 | 2002 | ||
| Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain | 2002 | 2007 | ||
| Sayed Zahid Hussain | 2008 | 2009 | ||
| Khawaja Muhammad Sharif | 2009 | 2010 | ||
| Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed | 2010 | 2011 | ||
| Azmat Saeed | 2011 | 2012 | ||
| Umar Ata Bandial | 2012 | 2014 | ||
| Imtiaz Ahmad | 2014 | 2015 | ||
| Manzoor Ahmad Malik | 2015 | 2015 | ||
| Ijazul Ahsan | 2015 | 2016 | ||
| Syed Mansoor Ali Shah | 2016 | 2018 | ||
| Muhammad Yawar Ali | 2018 | 2018 | ||
| Muhammad Anwaarul Haq | 2018 | 2018 | ||
| Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan | 2019 | 2019 | ||
| Mamoon Rashid Sheikh | 2020 | 2020 | ||
| Muhammad Qasim Khan | 2020 | 2021 | ||
| Muhammad Ameer Bhatti | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Shujaat Ali Khan | 2024 | present | ||
Current composition
Lahore High Court is headed by a Chief Justice. The bench consist of sixty Justices and additional judges. The retirement age of Chief Justice and Justices is 62 years. The Additional Judges are initially appointed for one year. After that, their services could either be extended or they could be confirmed or they are retired. The current Chief Justice of Lahore High Court is Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan and Court is currently made up of the following Justices (in order of seniority).[11]
| No. | Name | Appointment | Retirement | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shujaat Ali Khan | 27 March 2012 | 22 April 2026 | Chief Justice Since 25 June 2024 |
| 2 | Ali Baqar Najafi | 16 April 2012 | 14 September 2025 | Senior Puisne Judege Since 25 June 2024 |
| 3 | Aalia Neelum | 12 April 2013 | 11 November 2028 | |
| 4 | Abid Aziz Sheikh | 12 April 2013 | 25 April 2029 | |
| 5 | Sadaqat Ali Khan | 12 April 2013 | 20 January 2029 | |
| 6 | Shams Mehmood Mirza | 22 March 2014 | 6 March 2028 | |
| 7 | Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi | 22 March 2014 | 21 April 2028 | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Lahore_High_Court