- Four HC judges ask oral questions on post-retirement benefits.
- Request details about when pension benefits will expire.
- Two of the four judges will be entitled to receive a pension next December.
ISLAMABAD: Following the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, which empowers the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to transfer high court judges between provinces without their consent, fresh indications have emerged that as many as four high court judges could be contemplating resignation.
Well-placed sources said The news that these four judges have recently approached the accounts department of their respective high courts seeking detailed information regarding their post-retirement rights.
Their queries, all verbal, relate to pension benefits, the exact dates on which those benefits expire in two of the cases, the status of their accrued vacation balances, and the depreciated value of the official vehicles they currently use if they choose to buy them now.
According to sources, these investigations have triggered strong speculation within judicial circles that the four judges (who are already understood to be on the government’s list to be transferred after the passage of the 27th Amendment) are actively weighing the option of resigning rather than being reassigned to new provinces or regions.
Two of the four judges will be eligible for a pension sometime next month, December 2025, creating uncertainty about the timing of any decision. “If they decide to resign, it is still unclear whether the resignations will occur immediately or after they become entitled to pension benefits,” one source said, adding: “Even if they resign, it is unclear whether they will proceed collectively or one by one.”
The development comes amid reports of government plans for a post-27th Amendment judicial reorganization, which government circles maintain is necessary to address the conduct of certain judges who they believe have brought the judiciary into disrepute.
Others, however, believe that the 27th amendment has seriously affected the independence of the judiciary and in such a situation, it is difficult for “independent-minded” judges to continue.
Although the Judicial Commission of Pakistan is constitutionally empowered to appoint and transfer judges, in the current constitution of the JCP government it appears to be an advantage.
Originally published in The News
