Major judicial reshuffle: 48 district and sessions judges transferred across Punjab

In a major reshuffle, the Lahore High Court (LHC) Saturday transferred 48 district and session judges across the Punjab province, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

According to a notification following approval of LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, judges hearing the May 9 incident cases in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargodha, and Gujranwala have also been transferred.

Prosecutors argued that these judges were biased towards the defendants in the May 9 cases. However, no new judges have been appointed in the Anti-Terrorism Courts.

Judge Khalid Arshad of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Lahore, who was hearing high-profile cases related to the May 9 riots is also included in those who have been transferred.

Known for rejecting the bail requests of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and other key figures such as Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Arshad has now been directed to report to the LHC for further assignment.

Malik Ejaz Asif, who was hearing 14 cases related to the May 9 incidents, has been transferred from Rawalpindi to Lahore. Prosecutors had raised objections against him.

 He was ordered to relinquish his charge immediately.

Following the transfer order, he left his position, but no new judge has yet been appointed for the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi.

District and Sessions Judges of Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal have also been transferred.

The District and Sessions Judge of Sargodha, Abbas, who had written a letter to the LHC, has also been transferred.

District and Sessions Judge of Lahore, Syed Ali Imran, has been transferred to Rahim Yar Khan.

Naseem Ahmad Virk has been appointed as the Sessions Judge of Lahore.

DG District Judiciary Sarfaraz Akhtar has been appointed as the Sessions Judge of Bahawalpur.

Anti-Corruption Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta has also been transferred and ordered to report immediately to the LHC.

Sessions Judge Mianwali, Qaiser Butt, has also been ordered to report to the Lahore High Court. Sessions Judge Raja Ghazanfar Ali has been transferred from Jhelum to Okara.

 Naseem Ahmed Virk has been appointed as the new District and Sessions Judge for Lahore, replacing Syed Ali Imran, who has been transferred to Rahim Yar Khan.

Judge Javed-ul-Hassan Chishti, previously the District and Sessions Judge of Faisalabad, has been posted at Mianwali.

Judge Asad Ali from Attock has been appointed as the new District and Sessions Judge for Toba Tek Singh, and Malik Ali Zulqarnain, formerly in charge of the judicial system in Layyah, has taken up the role of Director-General of District Judiciary at the LHC.

Several other judges, including Muhammad Akram of Bahawalpur, Amjad Nazir of Vehari, and Ateeq-ur-Rehman of Nankana Sahib, have been instructed to report to the Lahore High Court for new assignments.

Additionally, Safdar Ali Bhatti, the Senior Special Judge of Anti-Corruption Punjab, and Arshad Mehmood Bhutta, Special Judge of the Anti-Corruption Court in Kasur, have also been transferred.