| Court Name: | Lahore High Court |
| Location: | Principal Seat: Lahore-54000 Circuit Benches: Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi |
| Type: | Judicial Commission of Pakistan |
| Authority: | Constitution of Pakistan |
| Appealsto: | Supreme Court of Pakistan |
| Appealsfrom: | District Courts of Punjab |
| Terms: | Till 62 years of age |
| Positions: | 60 |
| Chiefjudgetitle: | Chief Justice of Lahore High Court |
| Chiefjudgename: | Aalia Neelum |
| Termstart: | 11 July 2024 |
The Lahore High Court is a provincial court house based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882.[1] The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over the province of Punjab. The High Court's principal seat is in Lahore, but there are benches in three other cities of the province: Rawalpindi, Multan and Bahawalpur.[2]
A proposal was sent by lawyers to set up new high court benches in Faisalabad, Sialkot, D.G.Khan and Gujranwala divisions but full court of Lahore High Court turned down this request.[3]
In 1849, the East India Company defeated the Sikh Empire and assumed control of administration within the Punjab. A Board of Administration was constituted and the Punjab was divided into Divisions, Districts and Tehsils. The Divisions were controlled by Commissioners, Districts by Deputy Commissioners and Tehsils by an Assistant and Extra Assistant Commissioners.[4]
The Board of Administration consisted of Sir Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence and Charles Grenville Mansel[5]
In 1858 the Punjab, along with the rest of British India, came under the direct rule of the British crown and decisions with regard to administration and justice were now made under the authority of the monarch, Queen Victoria.[6] By 1864, a proliferation of court cases necessitated an expansion to the judicial structure in the province. The Punjab Courts Act, (XIX of 1865) introduced seven grades of courts, combining judicial and administrative functions and claiming jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. The Court of Tehsildar was the lowest court, whilst the Court of the Judicial Commissioner became the highest court in the land.[7]
Over time, as appeals to the Chief Court greatly increased, later Acts namely the Punjab Courts Act, (XVII of 1877) and Punjab Courts Act, (XVIII of 1884) repealed earlier Acts and restated the law regarding the courts' constitution, powers and jurisdiction.[5] Additional judges were appointed, and greater finality was granted to the decisions of the lower appellate courts.[5] By 1884, there were four classes of courts subordinate to the Chief Court, namely the Divisional Court, the Court of the District Judge, the Court of the Subordinate Judge, the Court of Munsif.[8]
On 1 October 1882, the Chief Court of the Punjab Court was elevated to the status of a Lahore High Court, becoming known as Lahore High Court, King-Emperor George V also appointed a Chief Justice and six puisne justices, and declared the Court's jurisdiction over the Punjab and Delhi provinces.[5]
The Government of India Act, 1935 removed the barrier that the Chief Justice must be a Barrister Judge and opened the position to Civilian Judges. An age limit of 60 years was set for High Court Judges.[5]
By virtue of the Government of India (High Court Judges) Order, 1937, a maximum number of Judges for the various High Courts in India was fixed. In each case the number so stated was exclusive of the Chief Justice but included all additional judges. For the Lahore High Court the maximum number was fixed at 15.[5]
On 30 September 1955, the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan established the province of West Pakistan, and gave the Governor-General the power to establish the West Pakistan High Court, which was established in 1956. Judges from the Chief Court of Sind and the Judicial Commissioners Court at Peshawar became judges at the West Pakistan High Court.[9]
On 1 January 1981, it was ordered that the Lahore High Court would create benches at Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi. The order also specified that the Lahore High Court judges could hold circuit courts anywhere in the province, with judges nominated by the Lahore High Court Chief Justice.
The first Chief Justice at Lahore was Sir Henry Meredyth Plowden in 1880. The current Chief Justice is Aalia Neelum, incumbent since 11 July 2024.
The following table lists all the chief justices to date.[10]
Lahore High Court is headed by a Chief Justice. The bench consist of sixty Justices and additional judges. The retirement age of Chief Justice and Justices is 62 years. The Additional Judges are initially appointed for one year. After that, their services could either be extended or they could be confirmed or they are retired. The current Chief Justice of Lahore High Court is Justice Aalia Neelum and Court is currently made up of the following Justices (in order of seniority).[11]
| No. | Name | Appointment | Retirement | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aalia Neelum | 12 April 2013 | 11 November 2028 | Chief Justice Since 11 July 2024 | |
| 2 | Shujaat Ali Khan | 27 March 2012 | 22 April 2026 | ||
| 3 | Ali Baqar Najafi | 16 April 2012 | 14 September 2025 | ||
| 4 | Abid Aziz Sheikh | 12 April 2013 | 25 April 2029 | ||
| 5 | Sadaqat Ali Khan | 12 April 2013 | 20 January 2029 | ||
| 6 | Shams Mehmood Mirza | 22 March 2014 | 6 March 2028 | ||
| 7 | Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi | 22 March 2014 | 21 April 2028 | ||
| 8 | Faisal Zaman Khan | 22 March 2014 | 30 July 2029 | ||
| 9 | Masud Abid Naqvi | 7 November 2014 | 4 July 2026 | ||
| 10 | Shahid Karim | 7 November 2014 | 19 August 2026 | ||
| 11 | Mirza Viqas Rauf | 7 November 2014 | 26 April 2028 | ||
| 12 | Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal | 7 November 2014 | 31 October 2028 | ||
| 13 | Shehram Sarwar Chaudhary | 8 June 2015 | 23 April 2030 | ||
| 14 | Muhammad Sajid Mehmood Sethi | 8 June 2015 | 18 May 2030 | ||
| 15 | Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar | 8 June 2015 | 2 July 2030 | ||
| 16 | Asjad Javaid Ghural | 26 November 2016 | 29 April 2026 | ||
| 17 | Tariq Saleem Sheikh | 26 November 2016 | 23 June 2027 | ||
| 18 | Jawad Hassan | 26 November 2016 | 27 July 2029 | ||
| 19 | Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir | 26 November 2016 | 13 January 2031 | ||
| 20 | Chauhdry Abdul Aziz | 26 November 2016 | 8 September 2033 | ||
| 21 | Anwaarul Haq Pannun | 23 October 2018 | 27 March 2025 | ||
| 22 | Farooq Haider | 23 October 2018 | 23 April 2030 | ||
| 23 | Muhammad Waheed Khan | 23 October 2018 | 27 April 2031 | ||
| 24 | Rasaal Hasan Syed | 23 October 2018 | 10 September 2032 | ||
| 25 | Asim Hafeez | 23 October 2018 | 13 September 2032 | ||
| 26 | Sadiq Mahmud Khurram | 23 October 2018 | 7 January 2035 | ||
| 27 | Shakil Ahmed | 7 May 2021 | 11 November 2024 | ||
| 28 | Ahmad Nadeem Arshad | 7 May 2021 | 1 May 2027 | ||
| 29 | Mohammad Tariq Nadim | 7 May 2021 | 18 July 2029 | ||
| 30 | Mohammad Amjad Rafique | 7 May 2021 | 1 February 2032 | ||
| 31 | Abid Hussain Chathha | 7 May 2021 | 1 April 2034 | ||
| 32 | Anwaar Hussain | 7 May 2021 | 15 January 2035 | ||
| 33 | Ali Zia Bajwa | 7 May 2021 | 30 June 2035 | ||
| 34 | Sultan Tanvir Ahmed | 7 May 2021 | 27 August 2035 | ||
| 35 | Muhammad Raza Qureshi | 7 May 2021 | 14 September 2035 | ||
| 36 | Raheel Kamran Sheikh | 7 May 2021 | 20 January 2036 | ||
| 37 | Vacant | ||||
| 38 | Vacant | ||||
| 39 | Vacant | ||||
| 40 | Vacant | ||||
| 41 | Vacant | ||||
| 42 | Vacant | ||||
| 43 | Vacant | ||||
| 44 | Vacant | ||||
| 45 | Vacant | ||||
| 46 | Vacant | ||||
| 47 | Vacant | ||||
| 48 | Vacant | ||||
| 49 | Vacant | ||||
| 50 | Vacant | ||||
| 51 | Vacant | ||||
| 52 | Vacant | ||||
| 53 | Vacant | ||||
| 54 | Vacant | ||||
| 55 | Vacant | ||||
| 56 | Vacant | ||||
| 57 | Vacant | ||||
| 58 | Vacant | ||||
| 59 | Vacant | ||||
| 60 | Vacant |
The PCO of 1981 also afforded the Lahore High Court these three benches. The judges were required to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order. Four judges refused to do so and were relieved of office. Four other judges were not administered the oath, and were also relieved of office.[13]