As many as 48 district and sessions judges of the district judiciary including those seized with the hearing of May 9 riots have been transferred
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 31st, 2024) In a major development, as many as 48 district and sessions judges of Punjab judiciary have been transferred as part of a large-scale reshuffle.
The notification regarding the transfers and postings has been issued.
Even the judges from Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargodha, and Gujranwala, who have been hearing cases related to the May 9 incidents, have also been transferred.
The media reports say that the prosecutors also expressed concerns over judges’ transfers.
Despite the transfers, no new appointments have been made to the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) involved.
In Rawalpindi, Malik Ejaz Asif, the judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court handling 14 cases related to the May 9 events, was reassigned from Rawalpindi to Lahore.
The transfer followed objections raised by prosecutors regarding his handling of the cases.
Judge Asif was ordered to step down immediately, which he did upon receiving the directive.
However, a replacement judge for the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi has yet to be named.
District and Sessions Judges from Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal were also among those transferred. Sargodha's District and Sessions Judge Abbas, who had previously sent a letter to the Lahore High Court, was included in the reshuffle.
Syed Ali Imran, the District and Sessions Judge of Lahore, has been transferred to Rahim Yar Khan. This change was formalized following the approval of the Lahore High Court Chief Justice.
Judge Khalid Arshad, who was involved in hearing the May 9 cases, has been removed from his position and instructed to report to the Lahore High Court immediately. The relevant authorities have issued a notification regarding this decision.
Mianwali Sessions Judge Qaisar Butt has also been instructed to report to the Lahore High Court, while Sessions Judge Raja Ghulam Safdar Ali has been transferred from Jhelum to Okara.
Naseem Virk has been appointed as the new Sessions Judge of Lahore, while Sarfaraz Akhtar, the Director General of District Judiciary, has been appointed as the Sessions Judge of Bahawalpur. Additionally, Arshad Hussain Bhutta, the judge of the Anti-Corruption Court, has been removed from his post and directed to report to the Lahore High Court without delay.
