Majority of Punjab judges decline proposal for round-the-clock court sessions

A proposal to introduce double shifts in Punjab’s subordinate courts has received a mixed response from the judiciary. Out of 1,747 judges, only 768 have agreed, while 979 have declined to extend court hours.

The proposal, aimed at addressing a backlog of over 1.4 million pending cases, was put forward by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi as chairman of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee. Following this, the Director General of District Judiciary at the Lahore High Court issued a directive to all session judges in Punjab to gather their input.

According to reports, Punjab’s judiciary consists of:

• 152 district and session judges
• 504 additional district and session judges
• 110 senior civil judges
• 981 civil judges

Additionally, more than 700 judicial positions remain unfilled, which adds to the workload on the existing judges.

The judges’ feedback has been forwarded to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, and a final decision will be made after consultations with bar associations and other stakeholders.