IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN 
(ORIGINAL JURISDICTION) 
 
 
PRESENT: 
MR. JUSTICE TASSADUQ HUSSAIN JILLANI, HCJ 
MR. JUSTICE NASIR-UL-MULK 
MR. JUSTICE ANWAR ZAHEER JAMALI 
MR. JUSTICE ASIF SAEED KHAN KHOSA 
MR. JUSTICE EJAZ AFZAL KHAN  
 
CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 9 OF 2014 
(Constitution petition under Article 184 of the Constitution 
regarding seniority of the Judges of Lahore High Court, 
Lahore) 
 
Muhammad Aslam Awan, ASC 
… Petitioner 
VERSUS 
Federation of Pakistan and others 
… Respondents 
 
For the Petitioner: 
Mr. Zaka ur Rehman, ASC 
 
On Court Notice: 
Mr. Salman Aslam Butt, Attorney General 
 
Kh. 
Saeed 
uz 
Zafar, 
Addl. 
Attorney 
General  
 
Mr. Sajid Ilyas Bhatti, Deputy Attorney 
General 
 
Mr. Waqar Rana, ASC, Consultant to 
Attorney General 
 
 
Date of Hearing:  
06.05.2014 
 
ORDER 
 
 
 
TASSADUQ HUSSAIN JILLANI, CJ.- For reasons to be 
recorded later in the detailed judgment, we hold and declare as 
under:- 
i) 
that the inter se seniority of Judges of a High Court 
shall reckon from the order and date of their 
appointment as Additional Judges of that Court;  
 
ii) 
that the inter se seniority of Additional Judges of a 
High Court appointed vide the same order and date 
shall reckon from their seniority in age. If appointment 
of two or more service candidates is simultaneously 
Constitution Petition No. 9/2014 
2
made with that of the candidates from the Bar, the 
service Judges shall retain their existing seniority in 
the department regardless of their age, though that 
would be the determining factor in respect of their 
seniority viz a viz the candidates from the Bar. This 
principle has consistently been followed without 
exception ever-since the establishment of the High 
Courts in Pakistan and is even otherwise in accord 
with the equitable dispensation of justice.  
 
2. 
 
With the above observations and declaration, this 
petition is dismissed.  
 
 
CHIEF JUSTICE 
 
JUDGE (HJ-1)  
 
JUDGE (HJ-3) 
 
 
 
JUDGE (HJ-5)  
 
JUDGE (HJ-8) 
 
Islamabad, the 
6th of May, 2014 
Approved For Reporting 
Khurram 
 
