Lahore High Court Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani resigns

The judge, who was due to retire in 2032, ranked second in seniority at the IHC before his transfer and 10th at the LHC.Justice Kayani, known for his rulings on human rights matters, particularly cases involving enforced disappearances, was elevated to the IHC bench in December 2015.

Over the years, he presided over several high-profile cases concerning fundamental rights and enforced disappearances. Justice Kayani was also a vocal critic of the 27th Amendment and hadremarkedon it during its passage last year.

In April this year, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP)approved the transferof Kayani to the LHC, Justice Babar Sattar to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz to the Sindh High Court (SHC). The development marked the first instance of the 27th Amendment, approved in November last year, being applied directly to the high courts.

This followed amendments to. Article 200, which removed the requirement of obtaining a judge’s consent before transfer and empowered the relocation of high court judges between provinces on the recommendation of the JCP.Read More:IHC replaces registrar, inspection member.

The three judges who were transferred were also among the six IHC judges who hadwritten a letterto the Supreme Judicial Council, seeking guidance on how to counter alleged interference by intelligence agencies in their affairs.

In February 2025, when Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar was elevated to the position of IHC chief justice from the LHC, the same three judges were among a group of five whorefused to accept his elevation. They raised concerns regarding his seniority and questioned the legitimacy of his appointment.

Despite these reservations, Justice Dogar took oath as the IHC chief justice just a week later. However, the five judges who had expressed their concerns did not attend the oath-taking ceremony, despite being formally invited.