LHC CJ Aalia Neelum to inaugurate the foundation of the Judicial Tower in the provincial metropolis.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum of the Lahore High Court will inaugurate the foundation stone of the Judicial Tower Phase-I project on May 8, an initiative aimed at consolidating all district courts under a single structure.

The Judicial Tower will consist of 17 stories, including three subterranean floors designated for parking. The complex will have courtrooms, administrative offices, attorneys’ chambers, an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) center, and a multi-level parking facility.

According to the plan, some 200 courts — encompassing sessions, civil, family, and criminal courts presently dispersed throughout Lahore — will be systematically transferred to the new facility. Officials assert that the initiative will enhance judicial efficiency, minimise delays in case proceedings, and alleviate challenges encountered by plaintiffs and attorneys.

The structure will be partitioned into various functional segments, comprising court blocks, administrative sections, designated lawyers’ spaces, record rooms, contemporary archives, security control rooms, and waiting places for litigants. The makeover will include contemporary lifts, a digital case management system, and improved security measures.

The idea proposes distinct parking zones for lawyers, judges, and guests, accommodating hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles to resolve ongoing parking challenges.

Officials project the expenditure for Phase-I to be around Rs9.15 billion, with an anticipated completion period of two years. The initial phase will be developed on the location of the current printing plant. Upon completion, the courts from Aiwan-e-Adl will be transferred to the new tower, after which Phase II of the project will commence.

The project commenced under the orders of Chief Justice Neelum, who assumed office around two years ago, subsequent to persistent appeals by bar associations for the centralisation of court facilities.

The Chief Justice asserted that the project will not only furnish a state-of-the-art infrastructure for the judiciary but also assist plaintiffs and solicitors by consolidating all courts in a single location.