The Courts · As of July 2026
Lahore High Court
Established in 1882, the Lahore High Court is the superior court of the Punjab — the largest High Court in Pakistan — with its principal seat on Lahore's Mall and benches at Rawalpindi, Multan, and Bahawalpur.
The court's sanctioned strength is sixty judges; as of mid-2026 about forty-one were serving, with the process underway to fill the vacancies. Its docket is the daily life of Punjab's economy: writ petitions against every regulator, the company bench under the Companies Act 2017, tax references, and the appellate tiers over the accountability, banking, and anti-terrorism courts.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum — the first woman to lead the court — has been approved for elevation to the Supreme Court expected in August 2026, with the senior judges next in line including Justices Abid Aziz Sheikh, Sadaqat Ali Khan, and Shahbaz Ali Rizvi. The firm practices before this court daily; knowing its benches is not trivia, it is preparation.
Jurisdiction
- Writ jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution — certiorari, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, and habeas corpus against government and statutory bodies.
- Appeals and revisions from the district judiciary in civil and criminal matters, and intra-court appeals.
- Appellate and supervisory jurisdiction over the accountability courts, banking courts, anti-terrorism courts, and special courts of Punjab.
- The company jurisdiction under the Companies Act 2017, and tax references from the appellate tribunals.
Seats & Benches
Lahore (principal seat) · Rawalpindi Bench · Multan Bench · Bahawalpur Bench
Chief Justice
Madam Justice Aalia Neelum
Chief Justice since 11 July 2024 · the first woman Chief Justice in the court's history
At the bar from 1996 in constitutional, criminal, banking, and accountability work; additional judge from 2013, confirmed 2015; author of more than two hundred reported judgments and the architect of Punjab's gender-based-violence courts and e-court rollout. Approved for elevation to the Supreme Court expected August 2026 — the succession will fall to the court's senior-most judges. [RE-VERIFY ON ELEVATION]
The Bench
Sitting judges.
Selected, verifiable members of a bench of about forty-one serving judges (sanctioned strength sixty), as of July 2026 — the authoritative roll is maintained at data.lhc.gov.pk. Note Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza's resignation in November 2025 in protest at the 27th Amendment. [RE-VERIFY QUARTERLY]
| Judge | Elevated | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh | — | Reported senior-most puisne judge; heads the tax and commercial appeals division bench on the 2026 roster, and the front-runner for the chief justiceship. |
| Mr. Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan | — | Among the three senior judges in line for the chief justiceship as of July 2026. |
| Mr. Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi | — | Senior judge heading the NAB, anti-terrorism, and criminal appeals division bench on the 2026 roster. |
| Mr. Justice Shahid Karim | — | The court's environmental conscience — author of the Lahore smog and Ravi riverfront directions from the green bench. |
| Mr. Justice Sardar Akbar Ali Dogar | — | Sits on the criminal, NAB, and ATA appeals division bench on the March–May 2026 roster. |
| Mr. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani | 2026 (transfer) | Former senior puisne judge of the Islamabad High Court, transferred to the LHC in April 2026 under the post-27th-Amendment transfer regime. |
| Mr. Justice Jawad Hassan | — | Commercial and arbitration-side work; active on commercial-court reform. |
| Mr. Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh | — | Civil and constitutional jurisdiction; structured, scholarly judgments. |
| Mr. Justice Asim Hafeez | — | Banking and finance-law background; on the official sitting-judges list for 2026. |
| Mr. Justice Muhammad Raheel Kamran Sheikh | — | Labour, service, and constitutional matters. |
| Mr. Justice Ali Zia Bajwa | — | Among the court's younger constitutional-side judges on the 2026 bench. |
| Mr. Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad | — | On the official sitting-judges list for 2026. |
The Tradition
Notable former judges.
- Sir Shadi LalChief Justice, 1920–1934The first Indian Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court; later a member of the Privy Council.
- Mr. Justice M.R. KayaniJudge from 1949; Chief Justice, West Pakistan High Court 1958–1962The 'conscience of the judiciary' — principled wit and courage under martial law; his speeches remain the bar's manual of both.
- Mr. Justice (Dr.) Javid IqbalChief Justice, 1982–1986; later Supreme Court judgePhilosopher-jurist and son of Allama Iqbal; bridged jurisprudence and Iqbal studies.
- Mr. Justice Tassaduq Hussain JillaniJudge 1994–2004; later Chief Justice of PakistanCarried the court's civility tradition to the apex court's landmark minorities-rights judgment of 2014.
- Mr. Justice Asif Saeed Khan KhosaJudge 1998–2010; later Chief Justice of PakistanOne of Pakistan's most influential criminal-law jurists — the modern grammar of appraisal of evidence was written in his LHC years.
The Firm Before This Court
This is the firm's home court. The First Counsel appears before the Lahore High Court in writ, company, banking, and criminal-appellate jurisdiction, and before the accountability and special courts it supervises.
This profile is provided for general information as of July 2026; bench compositions change, and this page is reviewed periodically. It is not legal advice, and the firm does not speak for the court. Corrections are welcome at [email protected].