Lahore High Court Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh Resigns, Turns to Legal Research
LAHORE, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Lahore High Court Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh resigned from his judicial office on Thursday, more than nine years before his scheduled retirement, saying he intends to pursue legal scholarship, policy research and comparative judicial practice.
Justice Sheikh submitted his resignation, dated September 3, 2026, to President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 206 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which provides the constitutional mechanism for a judge of the Supreme Court or a high court to resign by writing addressed to the president. A copy was also sent to the registrar of the Lahore High Court.
Why Justice Raheel Kamran Resigned
In his resignation letter, Justice Sheikh said serving on the bench had been an honour and described his judicial tenure as among the most formative and fulfilling periods of his professional life.
He said that after sustained reflection, he had concluded that his further development as a jurist — as well as his ability to contribute to the rule of law and access to justice — would be better served through broader engagement with legal scholarship, policy research and comparative judicial practice.
Justice Sheikh also expressed gratitude to senior members of the judiciary for their guidance and to his staff for their support.
He said he was leaving the bench with a continuing commitment to Pakistan’s Constitution and the rule of law.
Importantly, the resignation letter, as reported by multiple outlets, does not cite a political dispute, disciplinary proceeding, institutional conflict or personal controversy as the reason for his departure. Any speculation beyond the reasons stated by Justice Sheikh would therefore be unsupported.
Appointed to Lahore High Court in 2021
Justice Sheikh joined the Lahore High Court as a judge on May 7, 2021. He was scheduled to reach the age of superannuation on January 30, 2036, meaning his resignation comes well before the end of his potential tenure.
Before joining the bench, he had an extensive career in legal practice and professional bodies.
He graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is a barrister of the Middle Temple. He enrolled as an advocate of the high courts in 2000 and became an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2012.
From 2016 to 2020, he served as an elected member of the Pakistan Bar Council, where he also chaired its Human Rights Committee and served on its Executive Committee. His legal practice covered public and commercial law, taxation, regulatory matters, white-collar crime and human rights.
Justice Sheikh is the son of senior lawyer Akram Sheikh, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Recent Judgments Before Resignation
Justice Sheikh remained active on the bench immediately before his resignation.
In a judgment reported on September 3, he struck down a provision introduced into the Punjab Healthcare Commission Act in 2024 that allowed the provincial government to remove commissioners at its pleasure. The court held that the provision undermined safeguards surrounding the independence and tenure of commissioners.
Days earlier, he ruled in a family-law case that a husband could not reclaim gold ornaments specified as dower in a Nikahnama as compensation for a divorce obtained through khula in the circumstances before the court.
He also authored a recent judgment concerning access to information, holding in litigation involving LESCO that minutes of meetings cannot automatically remain confidential after a final decision has been made, subject to applicable statutory exemptions and protections.
Another ruling reported on Thursday said advertisements promoting cigarettes, tobacco and paan were unlawful, with the Lahore High Court upholding the relevant federal restrictions and dismissing a challenge brought by a traders’ organisation.
These decisions illustrate that Justice Sheikh continued hearing and deciding cases close to the date of his departure.
Resignation Made Under Article 206
Justice Sheikh’s reference to Article 206 is legally significant because it is the constitutional provision governing voluntary resignation by superior-court judges.
The development should therefore be described as a resignation, not retirement, removal or dismissal.
There is also no basis in the current reporting to suggest that the resignation resulted from an order requiring him to leave office.
His stated reason is a professional transition from judicial service toward legal scholarship, research and comparative judicial work.
The departure ends a Lahore High Court tenure of a little over five years and leaves Justice Sheikh free to pursue the broader academic and policy work identified in his resignation letter.
