LHC rules women eligible for permanent lumberdar appointments

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that women are eligible to be appointed as permanent lumberdars, setting aside executive orders issued by the Punjab government that had denied a female candidate the position.

In a seven-page verdict authored by Justice Raheel Kamran, the court stated that no law prevents women from holding the office of lumberdar and emphasised constitutional principles of equality, inclusion and fair participation of women in public life.

The ruling came while allowing a petition filed by a woman challenging the decisions of the Lodhran deputy commissioner and the Board of Revenue, which had appointed another individual as permanent lumberdar despite her candidature.

According to the case record, the petitioner’s father had previously served as the permanent lumberdar of the same village until his death. The court noted that the petitioner had also been performing duties as Sarbarah Lumberdar since 2002 and had extensive experience assisting in village administration and official matters.

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Justice Kamran observed that appointment to the office of lumberdar is not merely ceremonial but requires familiarity with revenue procedures, communication with government officials, local knowledge and public accessibility. The court stated that the petitioner’s long-standing association with the role, hereditary claim, experience and merit could not legally be ignored without valid and objective reasons.

The judgment stressed that capable women should receive equal consideration for public offices traditionally dominated by men. It added that rural governance and revenue administration could benefit from greater participation of women in institutional roles.

The court further remarked that any direct or indirect bias against women unrelated to merit cannot be justified under constitutional principles.

Legal experts view the ruling as an important development for women’s representation in rural governance and public administration in Punjab, as it reinforces equal opportunity in appointments to traditional local administrative positions.