LAHORE – Days ago the Punjab Judicial Academy marked a significant milestone when Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Justice Aalia Neelum, presided over the 39th meeting of the Board of Management as the Academy’s first female Chairperson.
The session, held at the Academy’s headquarters, underscored ongoing judicial training reforms and institutional development.
The high-level meeting was attended by distinguished members, including Justice Muhammad Sajid Mehmood Sethi, Justice Jawad Hassan, Justice (R) Sardar Ahmed Naeem (Director General, Punjab Judicial Academy), Amjad Iqbal Ranjha (Registrar, Lahore High Court), along with other senior representatives from various departments of Punjab.
Established under The Punjab Judicial Academy Act, 2007, the PJA serves as the province’s premier statutory institution mandated to impart pre-service and in-service training to judicial officers and court personnel. Its core purpose is to enhance professional competence, strengthen ethical standards, and ensure the efficient and even-handed administration of justice.
The Academy’s comprehensive functions, as laid out in Section 4 of the Act, include developing specialised training courses on court management, case management, delay-reduction techniques, alternate dispute resolution, and judgment writing. It is also empowered to conduct examinations and award certificates and diplomas tailored to the needs of the judicial sector.
In line with its broader mandate, the PJA regularly organises conferences, seminars, workshops, lectures, and symposia on themes relating to judicial administration, law and development, and legislative drafting. It also contributes significantly to the legal landscape by publishing books, journals, research papers, and reports on matters connected to the administration of justice.
A central component of the Academy’s mission is to promote ethical values, judicial reasoning, and professional discipline among officers. The institution also facilitates research in areas such as trial skills, court and case management, and constitutional and legal studies.
The PJA works in close coordination with other educational and training bodies, including the Federal Judicial Academy, and conducts additional training programmes or examinations as directed by the Board, thereby reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of judicial capacity-building in Punjab.
