Lahore High Court Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh Resigns to Pursue Legal Scholarship

Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh has resigned from the Lahore High Court, saying he plans to turn to legal scholarship, policy research and comparative judicial practice.

Sheikh sent his resignation, dated Sept. 3, to President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 206 of Pakistan’s Constitution. In the letter, he described his years on the bench as the most formative and fulfilling period of his professional life.

He wrote that, after “deep and sustained reflection,” he had decided that further growth as a jurist and his ability to contribute to the rule of law and access to justice would be better served outside the judiciary. He thanked senior colleagues for their guidance and court staff for their support, saying he was leaving with an “enduring commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law.”

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Deep and sustained reflection

A copy of the resignation went to the Lahore High Court registrar. Sheikh has served as an LHC judge since May 2021. Before joining the bench, he spent five years as an elected member of the Pakistan Bar Council from 2016 to 2020 and chaired its Human Rights Committee.

A London School of Economics graduate and barrister of the Middle Temple, Sheikh has worked in public law, commercial law, taxation and human rights. He is the son of senior lawyer Akram Sheikh, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. His scheduled retirement date was Jan. 30, 2036.

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Enduring commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law