LAHORE: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar Saturday said the government was introducing, for the first time, a constitutional mechanism for annual evaluation of judges performance through a judges evaluation committee.
He was ddressing the inauguration of the Lawyers Education Academy at the Punjab Bar Council and a certificate distribution ceremony for successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course,
Tarar said a seven-member committee had been constituted to ensure transparency and merit in the appointment of high court judges.
The committee will interview candidates and submit its recommendations to the Judicial Commission.
Questioning why High Court judges should not undergo interviews when Civil Judges and Additional Sessions Judges are required to pass examinations, the minister said judicial appointments must be based strictly on merit.
He added that the government was introducing, for the first time, a constitutional mechanism for the annual evaluation of judges’’ performance through a Judges Evaluation Committee.
Under the proposed system, a Judges Evaluation Committee will review the performance of judges at the end of each year.
If a judge’’s performance is found unsatisfactory, the committee may send a reference to the Judicial Commission and recommend removal, he added.
Commenting on constitutional reforms,
Tarar said the 28th Constitutional Amendment would not be introduced in haste.
He said that whenever the amendment is introduced, it will only be after broad consultation.
The minister said work was underway on introducing a comprehensive health insurance policy for lawyers and their families.
Punjab Bar Council Executive Committee Chairman Fakhar Hayat Awan said the Bar Vocational Course had been mandatory since 2018 and announced that the Punjab Bar Council would no longer issue licences without verification of law degrees by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
He also announced that the Bar’’s Benevolent Fund had been increased from Rs300,000 to Rs600,000, pledging that there would be no compromise on the rights and welfare of lawyers.
Earlier, the federal law minister inaugurated the Lawyers Education Academy and later distributed certificates among successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course.
