Justice Aalia Neelum nominated as first female chief justice of Lahore High Court – M Haris

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has unanimously nominated Justice Aalia Neelum as new Lahore High Court Chief Justice.

Justice Aalia Neelum will serve until November 11, 2028.

She will be first female chief justice of LHC. She is known as a judge with expertise in criminal laws.

The JCP earlier in its last meeting had deliberated on the elevation of Justice Neelum as the next chief justice of the LHC, according to a June 9 report published on Express Tribune.

Both the government representatives—the attorney general for Pakistan and the law minister—hadf agreed on the consideration of Justice Neelum as the new LHC CJ.

Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was the senior puisne judge in the LHC, while Justice Neelum was third in the seniority list of the LHC after the elevation of incumbent LHC CJ Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to the Supreme Court.

Although it is not a constitutional requirement to appoint the senior puisne judge of a high court as the next chief justice, all senior puisne judges have been appointed as the CJs since the change of procedure in the appointment of superior court judges through the 18th Constitution Amendment in 2010.