Categories Courts

IHC Sees Flurry of Changes with Arrival of New Judges

Days after five judges of the Islamabad High Court opposed transfer of Justice Sarfaraz Dogar from Lahore High Court on Monday Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Capital’ High Court – a senior pusine judge –  name has been delisted from the top decision making committee.

According to a notification on Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) administration reconstituted the Administrative Committee and Departmental Promotion Committee. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq remains the chairman, with Justice Sarfraz Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro inducted as members. Previously, Justice Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb were part of this committee.

Furthermore, the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) has also been modified; it now comprises Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Azam Khan. Earlier, the DPC comprised Justice Kayani and Justice Aurangzeb. The changes were formalised through a notification issued by Additional Registrar Ijaz Ahmed following the approval of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.

The IHC administration also formally notified Justice Dogar as the senior puisne judge of the Islam­abad High Court. The administration also revi­sed its seniority list and the changes were impleme­nted after receiving appro­val from Chief Jus­tice Aamir Farooq, with separate notifications issued by the registrar’s office.

According to the official notification, Justice Sarfaraz Dogar has now been designated as the senior puisne judge of the IHC.  Dawn reported the updated seniority list : Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Jus­tice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Saman Rif­fat Imtiaz, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, Justice Mohammad Azam Khan, Justice Mohammad Asif and Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas.

On February 1, the president issued the notification for the transfer of justices Dogar, Soomro and Asif to the Islamabad High Court from the Lahore High Court, Sindh High Court, and Balochistan High Court, respectively.

Some lawyers bodies of Islamabad opposed the transfer and went on strike on Monday to protest the transfer. However, lawyers from other factions who pursued their cases, law officers from the attorney general’s office as well as prosecutors welcomed the new judges and presented bouquets to them.

On January 31, five IHC judges had opposed the transfer of Justice Dogar in a letter sent to the CJP, chief justices of the IHC, LHC, and SHC that a judge from another court was being transferred for his onward elevation as the IHC chief justice.

The incumbent IHC CJ, Aamer Farooq, is the most senior Chief Justice and is likely to be elevated to the Supreme Court. The Judi­cial Com­mission of Pakis­tan will meet on Feb 10 to consider high court judges for eight vacancies in the apex court.

The letter was signed by justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz. Interestingly, while the names of justices Miangul Aurangzeb and Arbab Tahir were also included in the letter, it did not bear their signatures.

The letter said since the 18th Amendment, no permanent high court transfers had taken place, reinforcing the autonomy of each high court.

A central concern raised by the IHC justices was that a transferred judge would be required to take a fresh oath under Article 194, which would place them at the bottom of the IHC seniority list.

This would render them ineligible for immediate consideration for the position of Chief Justice, contradicting the Judicial Commission of Pakistan Appointment Rules 2024, which mandate that the Chief Justice of a high court must be appointed from among the three senior-most judges of that court.

Author

The writer is an advocate High Court and contributes to Law Today

More From Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Editor, Khudayar Mohla, Farooq Ali case, UK national found dead Islamabad, Farooq Ali murder trial, Dr Rehiana B Ali, suspicious hotel death Pakistan, Islamabad hotel death, postmortem denied by police, FIR 204/22, Section 302 PPC, Section 34 PPC, Islamabad High Court case, forensic investigation failures Pakistan, cover-up by hotel staff, police negligence in murder case, Advocate Sharafat Ali Chaudhry, exhumation report Pakistan, CCTV evidence tampering, Ramada Hotel Islamabad death, private complaint under Section 200 CrPC, justice for Farooq Ali, Pakistani judicial system test, delayed FIR registration, death investigation Pakistan, court verdict May 29 2025, murder cover-up allegations, critical evidence destroyed, criminal justice accountability Pakistan, medico-legal investigation flaws

Verdict Awaited in High-Profile Farooq Ali Murder Case

UK citizen's sister alleges foul play, police cover-up, and forensic mishandling; court to announce judgment…

AI in judiciary, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, citizen feedback portal judiciary, court data analytics, cybersecurity in judiciary, digital courts Pakistan, digital divide in courts, digital justice system, e-filing Supreme Court, editor, ethics in AI for law, judicial automation Pakistan, judicial cooperation China Türkiye, judicial reforms Pakistan, judicial technology Pakistan, judicial transparency Pakistan, judiciary digital transformation, justice without discrimination, Khudayar Mohla expret taxation law, Law and Justice Commission Pakistan, legal tech Pakistan, management information system judiciary, NJAC Pakistan, NJPMC Pakistan, QR code judgments, Supreme Court digital transformation, Supreme Court Pakistan IT reforms, symposium on judicial technology, use of technology in justice, video-link court hearings, need of the hour, judiciary

CJP Emphasizes Integration of MIS into the Administration of Justice

Says technology will make courts more accessible, transparent, and efficient in delivering justice without discrimination.

Editor, Khudayar Mohla expret taxation law, judicial technology Pakistan, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, management information system judiciary, judicial reforms Pakistan, digital courts Pakistan, Supreme Court digital transformation, use of technology in justice, NJPMC Pakistan, Law and Justice Commission Pakistan, e-filing Supreme Court, QR code judgments, citizen feedback portal judiciary, judicial automation Pakistan, AI in judiciary, judicial cooperation China Türkiye, symposium on judicial technology, Supreme Court Pakistan IT reforms, judicial transparency Pakistan, digital divide in courts, cybersecurity in judiciary, NJAC Pakistan, court data analytics, video-link court hearings, legal tech Pakistan, digital justice system, judiciary digital transformation, voice of the time judiciary, justice without discrimination, ethics in AI for law

Litigants Urge SC Chief Justice to Enforce O X R 1 CPC for District Judiciary Civil Case Backlog

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to convene NJPMC Meeting to discuss judicial reforms