Sindh High Court
Apex court of the Pakistani province of Sindh
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History
On 21 August 1926, the Sindh Courts Act (Bom. VII of 1926) was passed into law, making provision for the establishment of a chief court for the province of Sindh. On the coming into operation of Part III of the Government of India Act, 1935, on 1 April 1937, Sindh became a separate province and the judges of the Court of Judicial Commissioner of Sindh were appointed by Royal Warrant by the British Government.
At the time of establishment of the High Court of West Pakistan the number of the judges of the Karachi Bench was almost the same, but subsequently it was increased to 15. On the separation of the Sindh & Balochistan's High Court, 12 judges were allocated to the Sindh High Court and 3 judges to the Balochistan High Court. The present approved strength of judges is 28. However, the number of judges appointed is 24.
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Building complex
The construction of existing main building was commenced in 1923, at an estimated cost of Rs. 39,75,248 but it was completed on 22-11-1929, at actual cost of Rs. 30,35,000. This building which was meant for 5 judges with some provision for expansion in 1929 is now accommodating 18 judges. Some judges have to hold court in chambers. It also provides space for the offices of the Attorney-General, Deputy Attorney-General, Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan Registry, Advocate-General, Sindh, Additional Advocate General, Sindh, Assistant Advocate General, Sindh and High Court Bar Library. Before the Supreme Court Registry was shifted from the High Court premises, two court rooms and three chambers were used by Supreme Court judges. When the Supreme Court comes to Karachi in bigger strength some more chambers were provided to the Judges of the Supreme Court.
In 1974, an annex building on the northeast side of the compound of the High Court was constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.4 million. However, it did not substantially ease the crowding situation, because it also provides office space for the Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Standing Counsel, Official Assignee, Special Banking Court, Registry of the Federal Shariat Court and Sindh Bar Council, in addition to High Court facilities.
The provincial government has allocated a token amount of Rs. One Lac during the current year for construction of Annexe Building of South-East of the present building in order to make the scheme as ongoing scheme. The building was estimated in 1984 to cost a sum of Rs. 13.35 million. The cost now may go up slightly because of inflation. Unless the Federal Government provides funds or the Provincial Government give preference to the construction of this building and provide necessary funds, the building is not going to be completed within a year or two.
Bench
The High Court of Sindh consists of a Chief Justice and 27 other judges. A judge of the High Court is appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Governor of the Province and the Chief Justice of the High Court. No person can be appointed as a judge of a High Court unless he is a citizen of Pakistan at least forty years of age and has been an advocate of the High Court or has held a judicial office for ten years and has for a period of not less than three years served as or exercised the functions of a district judge in Pakistan. A judge of a High Court holds office until he attains the age of sixty-two years, unless he resigns before then or is removed from office in accordance with the Constitution.
The principal seat of the High Court of Sindh is at Karachi with benches at Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, and Mirpurkhas. The High Court may have more benches at other places as the Governor on the advice of the Cabinet and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court may determine.
PC0 25 March 1981
- Agha Ali Hyder-not offered oath under PCO as chief justice of Sindh High Court; took oath under PCO as judge of Federal Shariat Court
- Abdul Hayee Qureshi took oath under PCO
- Abdul Hafeez Memon did not take oath under PCO
- Zaffar Hussain Mirza took oath under PCO
- Naimuddin Ahmed took oath under PCO
- S.A. Nusrat took oath under PCO
- G. M. Shah did not take oath under PCO
- Ajmal Mian took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
- Muhammad Zahoor-ul-Haq took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
- Sajjad Ali Shah took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
- Ghous Ali Shah took oath under PCO
- Dr. Tanzil-ur-Rehman took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
- Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
- Ghulam Muhammad Kourejo took oath under PCO
- Nasir Aslam Zahid took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
- K. A. Ghani took oath under PCO
- Saleem Akhtar took fresh oath as new judge under PCO
PC0 26 January 2000
- Nazim Hussain Siddiqi take oath under PCO was chief justice
- Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary take oath under PCO
- Ghous Mohammed Not invited to take oath/ cease to hold office
- Mushtaq Memon Not invited to take oath/ cease to hold office
- Rasheed Rizvi Not invited to take oath/ cease to hold office
- Syed Deedar Hussain take oath under PCO
- Amanullah Abbasi take oath under PCO
- Hamid Ali Mirza take oath under PCO
- Hameed Dogar take oath under PCO
- Syed Saeed Ashad take oath under PCO
- Abdul Ghani Shaikh take oath under PCO
- Mohammed Roshan Esani take oath under PCO
- S. A. Sarwar take oath under PCO
- Zahid Qurban Alvi, take oath under PCO
- Shabir Ahmed take oath under PCO
- Ata-ur-Rehman take oath under PCO
- Ghulam Rabban take oath under PCO
- Sarmad Jalal Usmani take oath under PCO
- Anwar Zaheer Jamali take oath under PCO
- S. A. Rabbani take oath under PCO
- M. Ashraf Leghari take oath under PCO
- Wahid Bux Brohi take oath under PCO
- Sabihuddin Ahmed take oath under PCO
- Rana Bhagwandas take oath under PCO
- Ghulam Nabi Soomro take oath under PCO
- Mushir Alam take oath under PCO
PC0 3 November 2007
- Sabihuddin Ahmed – Did not take oath under PCO was chief justice
- Sarmad Jalal Usmani -Did not take oath under PCO
- Anwar Zaheer Jamali -Did not take oath under PCO
- Musheer Alam -Did not take oath under PCO
- Mohammad Moosa K. Legari -take oath under Pco elevated to supreme court
- Zia Perwez – take oath under Pco elevated to supreme court
- Afzal Soomro -take oath under PCO became chief justice
- Rahmad Hussain Jaferi -Did not take oath under PCO
- Azizullah Memon -take oath under PCO
- Khilji Arif Hussain -Did not take oath under PCO
- Ameer Hani Muslim -Did not take oath under PCO
- Gulzar Ahmad -Did not take oath under PCO
- Maqbool Baqar -Did not take oath under PCO
- Munib Ahmad Khan -take oath under PCO
- Muhammad Athar Saeed -Did not take oath under PCO
- Yasmin Abbasey -take oath under PCO
- Mrs Qaiser Iqbal -take oath under PCO
- Ali Sain Dino Metlo-take oath under PCO
- Faisal Arab – Did not take oath under PCO
- Sajjad Ali Shah -Did not take oath under PCO
- Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui – take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Abdul Rasheed Kalwar – Did not take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Salman Ansari – Did not take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Arshad Siraj Memon – Did not take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Zafar Ahmad Khan Sherwani – Did not take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Mahmood Alam Rizvi – take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Abdul Rahman Farooq Pirzada – take oath under PCO was additional judge
- Additional Judges Appointed under PCO
- Khawaja Naveed Ahmed
- Qazi Khalid
- Rana Shamim
- Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan
- Syed Pir Ali Shah
- Bin Yamin
- Arshad Noor
- Dr Qamaruddin Bohra
- Ghulam Dastagir Shahani
- Farrukh Zia Sheikh
- Abdul Qadir Khan
Reappointment of judges
- After the resignation of Pervez Musharraf as president in 2008, the Pakistan People's Party led government decided to reappoint judges under the 1973 constitution and administer fresh oath of office. Some of the judges agreed to take fresh oaths and were reappointed.
27 August 2008 and 6 September 2008
- Reappointed in August 2008
- Anwar Zaheer Jamali – made chief justice
- Khilji Arif Hussain
- Ameer Hani Muslim
- Faisal Arab
- Sajjad Ali Shah
- Abdul Rasheed Kalwar
- Salman Ansari
- Zafar Ahmad Khan Sherwani
- Reappointed on 6 September 2008
- Sabihuddin Ahmed, elevated to Supreme Court
- Sarmad Jalal Usmani, elevated to Supreme Court
- Gulzar Ahmad
- Muhammad Athar Saeed
- Reappointed in December 2008
- Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan with original seniority- posted as Federal Secretary Law and Justice
Restoration of judges
After protests by lawyers and opposition parties, on 16 March 2009, the Government restored deposed judges. Only two judges had refused to be reappointed: Musheer Alam and Maqbool Baqar.
Former Chief Justices
- Mr. Justice Abdul Kadir Shaikh (01-12-1976 to 30-06-1979)
- Mr. Justice Ahga Ali Hyder (01-07-1979 to 24-03-1981)
- Mr. Justice Abdul Hayee Qureshi (25-03-1981 to 19-01-1986)
- Mr. Justice Naimuddin Ahmed (21-01-1986 to 03-09-1988)
- Mr. Justice Ajmal Mian (04-09-1988 to 12-12-1989)
- Mr. Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah (13-12-1989 to 04-11-1990)
- Mr. Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui (05-11-1990 to 21-05-1992)
- Mr. Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid (23-05-1992 to 15-04-1994)
- Mr. Justice Abdul Hafeez Memon (Acting Chief Justice)(16-04-1994 to 14-04-1996)
- Mr. Justice Mamoon Kazi (15-04-1996 to 04-11-1997)
- Mr. Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed (05-11-1997 to 04-05-1998)
- Mr. Justice Kamal Mansur Alam (05-05-1998 to 21-04-1999)
- Mr. Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui (22-04-1999 to 03-02-2000)
- Mr. Justice Syed Deedar Hussain Shah (04-02-2000 to 27-04-2000)
- Mr. Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad (28-04-2000 to 04-04-2005)
- Mr. Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed (05-04-2005 to 03-11-2007)
- Mr. Justice Afzal Soomro (03-11-2007 to 15-05-2008)
- Mr. Justice Azizullah M. Memon (Acting Chief Justice)(15-05-2008 to 27-08-2008)
- Mr. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali (28-08-2008 to 02-08-2009)
- Mr. Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany (03-08-2009 to 13-02-2011)
- Mr. Justice Mushir Alam (14-02-2011 to 19-09-2013)
- Mr. Justice Maqbool Baqar (20-09-2013 to 16-02-2015)
- Mr. Justice Faisal Arab (17-02-2015 to 13-12-2015)
- Mr. Justice Sajjad Ali Shah (14-12-2015) to (14-03-2017)
- Mr. Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh (15-03-2017 to 02-10-2023)
- Mr. Justice Irfan Saadat Khan (Acting) (3-10-2023 to 02-11-2023)
- Mr. Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi (Acting) (03-11-2023 to 18-12-2023)
- Mr. Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui(Acting) (25-06-2024 to 12-07-2024)
Judges of Sindh High Court
The High Court of Sindh is headed by a Chief Justice. The bench consist of justices and additional judges and the retirement age of the Chief Justice and justices is 62 years. The additional judges are initially appointed for one year, and after that their services could either be extended, or they could be confirmed. The current Chief Justice of Sindh High Court is Zafar Ahmed Rajput.