IHC working on policy to rotate judges to other provinces
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) administration has started working on a policy for rotation of judges of the subordinate judiciary to other provinces, a long-awaited demand of the capital’s legal fraternity that was accepted in principle by the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC). Informed sources said several proposals were being considered to determine the modalities for…
The Islamabad High Court administration is developing a policy for rotating judges from the subordinate judiciary to other provinces, a long-awaited request from the capital's legal community that received provisional approval from the National Judicial Policy Making Committee. Legal experts and informed sources reveal that various proposals are being evaluated to establish the procedures for inter-provincial rotation of Islamabad's district judiciary judges.
One option being considered is to assign judicial officers posted to other provinces to their original provinces of origin. Currently, the IHC comprises officers recruited through different means, and approximately 60 judges serve in the capital, with authorities contemplating whether to rotate all, half, or a third of them. The scope of rotation is also under consideration, including all tiers of the subordinate judiciary or specific categories.
The policy aims to maintain the strength of the district judiciary by ensuring an equal number of judges from Islamabad are replaced by those from other provinces. This proposal follows a demand from Islamabad lawyers for equal inter-provincial transfer and rotation opportunities for the federal capital's district judiciary, which the NJPMC accepted in principle.
The issue has gained prominence after three IHC judges were transferred to the Lahore, Peshawar, and Sindh high courts this year, prompting calls for a structured and periodic rotation mechanism for judges. While the concept of rotating lower court judges in Islamabad is not new, introduced in 2018, concerns have been raised about potential professional pressures on judges due to frequent movements between Islamabad and other provinces.
The final policy is expected to determine the number and categories of judges to be rotated, the duration of their postings, and the process for replacing them with judicial officers from other provinces, focusing on balancing professional demands with judicial independence.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
