LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has upheld the dismissal of civil judge Sheikh Ali Jafar for facilitating rigging during a Union Council election in Shahkot Tehsil while serving as returning officer.
A three-member LHC bench led by Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi issued the written verdict on the judge’s appeal against his removal. The court found that election results were altered a month after polling, with votes of the actual winner Asghar Ali Asghar redistributed to losing candidates.
The case began when Asghar filed a complaint after the judge declared Maqbool Ahmed Javed as the winner. A recheck ordered by the Election Commission confirmed irregularities and led to a formal complaint.
The judge was first dismissed by the LHC registrar in 2006, but that decision was overturned by the Service Tribunal in 2008 due to lack of formal inquiry. However, after a departmental probe, he was dismissed again in 2015, and his appeal was rejected.
The LHC ruling noted that the judge had pleaded for forgiveness from the complainant during the inquiry and that the DRO testified to tampering with the electoral record. The court held that altering declared results was beyond the judge’s authority and upheld his dismissal.
