Justice Kayani, who was transferred to LHC from Islamabad, resigned due to personal reasons, say sources
Staff Report
Lahore: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has stepped down as a judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC), with sources citing personal reasons behind his resignation.
Justice Kayani was among the three judges transferred from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to other high courts in April this year under a proposal initiated by IHC Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, approved the transfers on April 28 by majority vote.
Under the decision, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani was transferred to the Lahore High Court, Justice Babar Sattar to the Peshawar High Court, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to the Sindh High Court.
Justice Kayani had earlier attracted national attention as one of six IHC judges who, in a rare and unprecedented move, wrote a letter to the Supreme Court, alleging interference by intelligence agencies in judicial affairs and seeking guidance on safeguarding judicial independence. The matter was subsequently taken up by a Supreme Court bench headed by then Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. However, despite hearings on the issue, the proceedings concluded without any definitive outcome or finding on the allegations.
The six judges who were signatories to the letter later became the subject of significant administrative changes, with all of them eventually transferred or reassigned to other courts, a development that sparked debate within legal and political circles over its implications for judicial independence.
Justice Kayani’s resignation comes months after his transfer to the LHC and is likely to reignite discussion surrounding the episode that exposed tensions between the judiciary and state institutions. No official statement has yet been issued detailing the specific reasons for his departure.
