The Judicial Commission on Saturday agreed to appoint Justice Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry as Chief Justice Lahore High Court (LHC) after the retirement of incumbent Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif. The Commission, in its second meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, unanimously decided to appoint Justice Ejaz Chaudhry as Chief Justice LHC as Justice Khawaja Sharif is to retire on December 8.
Justice Ejaz is the senior most judge in the LHC after the incumbent CJ Khawaja Sharif. As per the 18th Amendment, a parliamentary committee will give the final nod over the appointment of Justice Ejaz. However, the eight-member committee has not yet been constituted.
Following the parliamentary committee's approval, the summary of Justice Ejaz's appointment would be sent to President Asif Ali Zardari. The final notification of Justice Ejaz's appointment would be issued after President Zardari's approval. Justice Ejaz is among the most respectable judges of LHC who ruled out taking oath under Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) after imposition of emergency on November 3, 2007.
Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, Attorney General and representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council also attended the meeting. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanuallah and Justice Khawaja Sharif were also in attendance.