Karachi:
Chief Justice Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar has said a plan to set up multiple courts and increase the number of civilian judges has ended. He also called for social media to be used positively and not to spread negativity in society.
He spoke at the inauguration of the free legal research service organized by DG lawyers. Justice Ghaffar said civil cases through recent changes had been moved from SHC to the district courts to minimize disadvantages of litigation and simplify the transfer process. Questions regarding jurisdiction in civil affairs were also resolved, he added.
Chief Justice said the plan for several courts had been discussed with Chief Justice of Pakistan along with the construction of a law complex. He said that in a recent Supreme Court meeting, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) was also discussed and it was decided to frame a policy for it. He clarified that judgments could not be produced with a single click, nor could cases be prepared by pressing a single button, although it was fully used.
He said SHC had upgraded its equipment, created a research cell with civilian judges and improved its official site to include detailed assessments and case information. Orders downloaded from the site could now be verified through a tracking system and the certified copy system became computer.
Justice Ghaffar said that in Karachi, statements in Supreme Court cases could now be certified from any circuit bench, and work was underway to make the same facility available to the District Court’s statements. The judgments along with Case Diaries would also be uploaded to the site.
He advised the public and said, “People should not spread harmful content on social media but share positive things.”
When he spoke at the event, Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) said President Barrister Sarfaraz Metlo said the bar was working for the welfare and supremacy of the law and the constitution, but its projects were not published.
He said that after the change of civilian courts, the existing court infrastructure had become inadequate and the number of civil judges had to be increased. A free shuttle service was run between SHC, the City Court and Malir Court for lawyer’s convenience, he added.
The ceremony attended Justice Agha Faisal, Barens officials and senior lawyers. According to the free legal research service, lawyers now have access to case information from 1947 to 2025.
