LHC CJ retires, successor to take oath today

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan has retired as he reached superannuation on Tuesday.

A full court reference was attended by Chief Justice-designate Mamoon Rashid Sheikh, Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan and Justice Shujaat Ali Khan as well as lawyers leaders, bar representatives and law officers.

The outgoing CJ said the LHC was a historical institution and it had been a great honour for him to be its head. He said the LHC had been protecting fundamental rights of people of the province while providing them with justice. He said speedy adjudication of pending cases and delivery of prompt and standard justice had been his priority.

His second priority, he said, was to provide the judiciary with infrastructure and effective measures to expedite completion of all under-construction projects so that judges, lawyers and litigants could be given a better environment in the courts. He said that steps had also been taken for swift decisions of cases of overseas Pakistanis, for which special benches had been set up in the district judiciary and the LHC. He also highlighted the performance of model courts and ADR Centers.

Chief Justice-designate Mamoon Rashid Sheikh said outgoing Chief Justice Khan was known for his ability to deliver justice while ensuring that rights of all parties involved in a case were respected.

He said merits of CJ Khan were not limited to his abilities as an advocate and a jurist. He wished the outgoing chief justice on behalf of all judges, members of the district judiciary, and the bar a healthy and prosperous life ahead. Chief Justice-designate Mamoon Rashid Sheikh will take oath of the office at a ceremony at the Governor’s House on Wednesday (today).