LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on a petition of PTI Secretary General Salman Akram challenging an amendment to the Election Act 2017 allowing the appointment of retired judges as election tribunals and also the appointment of former judge Rana Zahid Mahmood as an election tribunal.
Earlier, a lawyer for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) asked the court to refer the petition to a full bench for hearing as a similar matter was already pending before that bench.
The counsel of Raja Salman at this asked the court to issue a stay order if the petition was to be referred to the full bench.
He argued that the impugned election tribunal led by former judge Rana Zahid Mahmood was not lawfully established as the presiding officer was not a former judge of the high court.
The court, however, reserved its verdict and observed it would issue an order on the matter.
The petitioner contended in his petition that the respondent former judge was not qualified to be a member of the tribunal as he was removed from the office of the LHC judge in light of a 2009 Supreme Court’s judgment against the appointments of the judges made during the tenure of PCO chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.
He also argued that forming election tribunals comprising retired judges of the high court undermines judicial independence.
He asked the court to restrain the respondent tribunal comprising retired judge Rana Zahid Mahmood from proceeding with the election petitions.
He also asked the court to set aside the impugned amendment to the Election Act 2017 allowing the appointment of retired judges as election tribunals.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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