Judicial Commission of Pakistan initiates process to fill high court vacancies

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is moving swiftly to address judicial vacancies, formally inviting nominations to fill 10 vacant positions for additional judges in the Lahore High Court (LHC). This initiative marks a rapid pace for judicial appointments, coming just a day after the commission approved the Interviews of Judges Appointment Rules.

These new rules establish a specialized seven-member panel tasked with vetting prospective candidates for positions within the superior judiciary. According to an official communication from the JCP Secretariat, nominations must be submitted in the prescribed format by July 4. Sources indicate that following the compilation of these nominations, the JCP is scheduled to hold intensive sessions from July 21 to 23. During these sessions, the commission will evaluate and finalize selections for the Lahore, Sindh, and Balochistan high courts. Concurrently, recommendations for the Peshawar High Court (PHC) are being finalized for presentation during the same period.

The accelerated procedural rollout is directly linked to the recent 27th Constitutional Amendment. This amendment modified Article 175A(4) of the constitution, empowering the JCP to create its own rules for assessing the professional fitness of judicial candidates. This regulatory breakthrough addressed a significant backlog of cases and numerous vacancies that had previously stalled appointments across various provincial benches.

During Friday's JCP meeting, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, 20 out of 35 commission members voted to adopt the interview protocols and key amendments to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (Appointment of Judges) Rules, 2024. However, the commission deferred consideration of the Judicial Performance Evaluation of High Court Judges Rules, 2026, opting instead to gather written feedback from provincial chief justices within seven days. It is important to note that recommendations from the newly formed interview committee will not be legally binding on the full JCP, which retains the ultimate statutory authority to make final decisions through a majority vote.

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The recommendations or findings generated by the newly established interview committee will not be legally binding on the main commission.