Federal govt delaying appointment of AC judges: LHC

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday said the federal government has been delaying the appointment of judges to accountability courts in Punjab without any valid reason despite the fact that its registrar office sent two letters to the ministry of law and justice.

A statement issued by the LHC spokesman regretted that the presiding officers could not be appointed to accountability courts as well as other ex-cadre courts despite the nomination of judges by Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan.

The chief justice had nominated judges for appointment to 14 accountability courts of the province and some other ex-cadre courts. The LHC sent letters to the ministry of law and justice on April 5 and May 20, in which judges had been nominated for ex-cadre courts including three existing as well as five newly-established accountability courts of Lahore.

“But judges in the said ex-cadre courts have not been appointed so far,” the statement maintained and regretted that the federal government has been trying to give an impression that the appointment of judges in the three accountability courts of Lahore is being delayed by the LHC.

“While the fact is that the Lahore High Court had nominated judges for the said courts on the very next day when the services of judges from the said accountability courts were withdrawn,” it added. The LHC said the final approval of the nominations is still awaited from the government, which is being delayed without any plausible reason. It said the appointments will be made soon after the final approval from the federal government.