Justice Aalia Neelum's appointment as CJ LHC challenged in SC

ISLAMABAD: The appointment of Justice Aalia Neelum as Chief Justice (CJ) Lahore High Court (LHC) has been challenged in Supreme Court of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

As per details, the plea was filed by a member of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) in Supreme Court, stating that the seniority principle has already been elaborated in the Aljihad Trust case.

On July 11, Justice Aalia Neelum took oath as the first-ever female chief justice (CJ) of Lahore High Court (LHC).

Punjab Governor, Saleem Haider administered oath to Chief Justice LHC at a ceremony held at the Governor’s House. The ceremony was attended by Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, high court judges and other officials.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan unanimously nominated Justice Aalia for the LHC CJ’s post and Justice Shafi for the SHC’s top post in June. President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday approved the appointment of Justice Aalia Neelum as LHC CJ.

Read more: President approves appointment of Justice Aalia Neelum as LHC CJ

Justice Aalia Neelum, a renowned jurist, started her practice as a lawyer in 1996 and was elevated to a judge of the Lahore High Court in 2013. She has a distinguished career spanning over two decades and has been known for her judicious approach and legal acumen.

Before Justice Aalia, Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar had served as the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court. She was the first female chief justice of any court in the history of Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that LHC Justice Ayesha A. Malik was notified as a judge of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Friday, officially becoming Pakistan’s first-ever woman judge to be green-lighted to sit on the apex court.