ISLAMABAD: In view of severe disruptions in the supply of petroleum products due to the Middle East conflict, energy costs have escalated prompting the superior judiciary to adopt various austerity and fuel conservation measures, in line with the Prime Minister’s austerity package.
The Supreme Court, and the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee, which was attended by the Chief Justices of the Federal Shariat Court, Lahore High Court, Islamabad High Court, Peshawar High Court, Sindh High Court, Balochistan High Court approved Judicial Austerity and Energy Conservation Strategy, met here aimed at ensuring responsible use of national resources while maintaining uninterrupted access to justice across the country.
It was decided that the monthly ceiling of Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) allocated to the apex court judges shall be reduced by 50 percent, no additional protocol or security vehicles shall be deployed during movement within designated high-security zones. However, the relevant entity must ensure route security as per required protocols.
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The litigants and counsels shall be encouraged to participate in proceedings through video-link facilities, where feasible. Courts shall implement rotational attendance arrangements for staff, wherever practicable, to minimise commuting and reduce energy consumption while maintaining essential court functions. It was decided that the Federal Shariat Court and the High Courts shall rationalise security and protocol, and the Judges and Judicial Officers serving in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan shall maintain their security as per circumstances.
After the removal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government through vote of no-confidence, the PDM administration notified 20 percent increase in the salaries of Supreme Court of Pakistan judges in July, 2023. The monthly salary of the Chief Justice of Pakistan was increased to Rs1.2 million while the monthly salary of other judges of the apex court was raised to Rs1.1 million.
In November, 2024, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) coalition government increased house rent of Supreme Court judges from Rs68,000 to Rs350,000. It also enhanced the superior judicial allowance from Rs428,040 to Rs1,161,163.
House rent was also increased and judicial allowances of the High Court judges as well. The house rent was raised from Rs65,000 to Rs350,000, while the judicial allowance increased from Rs342,431 to Rs1,090,000.
After the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the PML-N government in November, 2024 increased the number of judges from 17 to 34, vide the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Act, 2024. However, presently there are 18 judges, including the Chief Justice of Pakistan in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, while there are seven judges, including Chief Justice, in the Federal Constitutional Court, which was established in pursuance of 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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