HCs to appoint lower courts judges

KARACHI - The full bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday allowed the constitutional petitions moved against the amendment over the appointments of judicial officials by Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC), setting aside the notification regarding the amendment.
The bench was headed by SHC Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali while the other members were Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui and Justice Karim Khan Agha. The bench gave the decision by issuing short order after hearing the arguments from both the sides.
Advocate General Sindh Yousuf Laghari argued that the provincial government of Sindh had taken initiative about bringing the amendment over the appointments of the judicial officials by SPSC. As the process is observed in the other three provinces, where the lower courts officials are appointed by their respective public service commissions, the said amendment is according to the constitution.
Laghari maintained that during the last few years, the judicial officials had been appointed by the SHC, while the government had decided to recruit the officials through SPSC.
Intercepting the government’s counsel, Rasheed A Rizvi advocate representing the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA), argued that the judicial officials in the other three provinces were being appointed by their high courts and the amendment had been brought in Sindh to authorise SPSC to appoint the officials in the courts.