LHC awards Rs133m honorarium to its employees

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court has awarded honorarium of Rs133 million to its 1,939 employees. According to a notification issued April 13, 2022, a total of Rs65 million has been given to 732 employees in BS-16 to BS-20 while Rs68 million given to 1,207 employees in BS-1 to BS-15.

The honorariums vary between Rs70,000 and Rs150,000 have been given to BS-16 to BS-20 employees whereas low-scale employees have got Rs55,000 to Rs60,000. The Registrar has been given Rs150,000 while additional registrars have received Rs120,000 each.

District and sessions judges serving on administrative positions of the high court have been sanctioned Rs140,000 each. The PSO to the CJ has been given Rs140,000. The secretary to the CJ has been given Rs120,000, private secretary Rs105,000, senior personal assistant Rs105,000, personal assistant Rs95,000, senior scale stenographer Rs105,000 and admin office coordinator Rs85,000.

A total of nine members from BS-16 to BS-20 of the CJ’s staff have been given honorariums. Fifteen lower staff members of the CJ have also benefited from this order.

Around 10 staff members of all judges of the high court have also been given honorariums. The employees serving in different departments or branches of the high court (principal seat) have also been given honorariums.

The BS-15 officials and low-scale staff, including data entry operators, library attendants, court attendants, office attendants, drivers, frash, sweepers, naib qasid, senior auditors, junior auditors, telephone operators, electricians, cooks, chowkidar, mali, dusting coolies, washermen, office coordinators, helper cooks, cook tandoorchi, helper tandoorchi, dishwasher, lab attendants etc, received honorariums of Rs55,000 to Rs60,000. According to the notification, the expenditure involved will be met out of the sanctioned budget for the financial year 2021-22.

According to the order, “In exercise of powers conferred under sub para (ii) of the Government of the Punjab, Finance Department’s notification No Judl I X(Home)/89 dated 08-10-1995, read with the Government of the Punjab, Finance Department’s letter No FD.SR.1/9-7/2003 dated 27th December, 2005, the Hon’ble Chief Justice has been pleased to accord sanction to the grant of Honorarium in respect of Officers of Lahore High Court (Principal Seat).” It is reminded that the employees of the Supreme Court and high courts draw much higher salaries as compared to the government servants in other departments and agencies.