Summary LHC Chief Justice Aliya Neelum urges 41 newly trained Punjab judges to uphold justice, honesty and responsibility while performing their judicial duties.
LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) – Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aliya Neelum has urged newly appointed judges of Punjab's subordinate judiciary to perform their duties with honesty, responsibility and a strong sense of justice, stressing that judges are accountable for the decisions they make.
She was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the pre-service training programme for 41 judges of Punjab's subordinate judiciary at the Punjab Judicial Academy in Lahore.
The ceremony was attended by Senior Puisne Judge Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, Justice Shahbaz Raza, Registrar Lahore High Court and Director General Punjab Judicial Academy Justice (retd) Sardar Ahmad Naeem, along with other academy officials.
Welcoming the newly trained judges to the judicial family, Justice Aliya Neelum said a judge is not an ordinary individual and must understand the responsibilities attached to the office. She also emphasised the importance of maintaining dignity and adopting a courteous attitude while performing judicial duties.
Duty and integrity
The chief justice said the office of a judge is one that must never be misused, adding that judges should discharge their responsibilities with honesty and integrity.
She cautioned that judges who make wrong decisions would ultimately be accountable before Allah.
Justice Aliya Neelum said a judge's pen is constantly in motion, but where that pen takes the judge's mind is something only the judge knows. She stressed that every judicial decision should be guided by a sense of responsibility and divine guidance.
The chief justice also advised judges to begin their day in the name of Allah, saying that seeking guidance at the beginning of the day could help them in their responsibilities and decisions.
She urged the judges not to allow the authority associated with their office to affect their conduct or create a sense of arrogance.
Impact of decisions
Justice Aliya Neelum highlighted the far-reaching responsibility of judges, noting that their decisions can directly affect people's lives.
She said judicial duties therefore had to be performed with the highest level of responsibility, honesty and commitment to justice.
Referring to her own approach to judicial decisions, the chief justice said that after making a decision, she did not spend even a moment thinking that she had made the wrong decision. Instead, she moved forward with the confidence that she had made a sound decision.
She also told the gathering that a good judicial decision carries immense value, saying that "our one good decision is better than 70,000 years of worship".
Justice Aliya Neelum expressed the hope that members of the Punjab judiciary would continue to work with confidence and uphold the principles of justice and integrity.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the newly trained judges were congratulated on completing their pre-service training and urged to discharge their judicial responsibilities in accordance with the principles of law, justice and honesty.
Shields were also distributed among the judges who successfully completed the training programme.
