the President shall appoint 1[one of the other Judges of the High Court, or may request one of the
Judges of the Supreme Court, to act as Chief Justice.
197. Additional Judges. At any time when__
(a) the office of a Judge of a High Court is vacant; or
(b) a Judge of a High Court is absent or is unable to perform the functions of his office due to
any other cause; or
(c) for any reason it is necessary to increase the number of Judges of a High Court, the
President may, in the manner provided in clause (1) of Article 193, appoint a person
qualified for appointment as a Judge of the High Court to be Additional Judge of the
Court for such period as the President may determine, being a period not exceeding such
period, if any, as may be prescribed by law.
198. Seat of the High Court. 2[(1)] Each High Court in existence immediately before the
commencing day shall continue to have its principal seat at the place where it had such seat before
that day.
3[(1A) The High Court for Islamabad Capital Territory shall have its principal seat at Islamabad]
4[(2) Each High Court and the Judges and divisional courts thereof shall sit at its principal seat
and the seats of its Benches and may hold, at any place within its territorial jurisdiction, circuit courts
consisting of such of the Judges as may be nominated by the Chief Justice.
(3) The Lahore High Court shall have a Bench each at Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi; the
High Court of Sindh shall have a Bench at Sukkur; the Peshawar High Court shall have a Bench each
at Abbottabad 5[, Mingora] and Dera Ismail Khan and the High Court of Balochistan shall have a
Bench at Sibi 6[and Turbat].
(4) Each of the High Courts may have Benches at such other places as the Governor may
determine on the advice of the Cabinet and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
(5) A Bench referred in clause (3), or established under clause (4), shall consist of such of the
Judges of the High Court as may be nominated by the Chief Justice from time to time for a period of
not less than one year.
(6) The Governor in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court shall make rules to
provide the following matters, that is to say,__
(a) assigning the area in relation to which each Bench shall exercise jurisdiction vested in the
High Court; and
1 Subs. by P.O. No. 14 of 1985 Art. 2 and Sch., for certain words.
2 Renumbered (1) ibid.,
3 New clause (1A) ins. by the Constitution (Eighteenth Amdt.) Act, 2010 (10 of 2010), s. 71.
4 Added by P. O. No. 14 of 1985, Art. 2 and Sch.
5 Ins. by the Constitution (Eighteenth Amdt.) Act, 2010 (10 of 2010), s. 71.
6 Added ibid.
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