LHC orders to withdraw vehicles of Grade 20, 21 officers

Lahore: Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) Alia Neelam has taken a historic decision to significantly reduce government expenditure for the first time in the 150-year history of the LHC, setting a new example of financial discipline in the judicial system.

Under this revolutionary decision, government vehicles will be withdrawn from Grade 20 and 21 officers, and instead, they will be given a monthly fixed allowance for petrol and repairs. For this purpose, a formal monetization policy has been issued, the notification of which was issued after the approval of Chief Justice Alia Neelam.

According to the policy, Grade 20 officers will be given Rs65,960 per month, Grade 21 officers will be given Rs77,430 per month for petrol and vehicle repairs. The decision regarding the allowance for Grade 19 officers will be taken in consultation with the Finance Department.

It is also reported that this move will save millions of rupees every month that were previously being spent on fuel and repairs of government vehicles.

Moreover, the policy of providing a motorcycle and 50 liters of petrol to the Naib Qasid who has served for five years is also likely to be reviewed.

Chief Justice Alia Neelam is not only striving to provide timely justice to the petitioners but is also promoting transparency and economy in the judicial system through administrative reforms.

The legal community has also appreciated this move of the Chief Justice, with Supreme Court Advocate Chaudhry Naseer Kamboh saying that this step is a practical step towards reducing the burden on the national exchequer as well as providing justice promptly.

Former President Supreme Court Bar Ahsan Bhawan termed this decision as the best administrative move in the context of the country’s economic situation and said that other institutions should also learn from it.