Lahore: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Lahore High Court resigned on Wednesday, saying concerns over judicial independence and the treatment of ordinary litigants had made it impossible for him to continue on the bench.

In his resignation letter to the president, reported by Dawn, Justice Kayani also cited personal reasons, including health concerns following recent surgery. His departure comes more than five years before his scheduled retirement on February 10, 2032.

The judge said he believed the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments had compromised the independence and institutional integrity of the high courts. He described what he regarded as growing executive control over judicial appointments and transfers, arguing that it had weakened public confidence in the justice system.

“In these circumstances, my conscience does not permit me to continue on the bench,” he wrote.

Justice Kayani placed the difficulties facing ordinary litigants at the centre of his decision. He said the needs of people seeking justice had too often been neglected within a system intended to serve them.

His resignation follows a prolonged dispute over judicial transfers and court administration. Previously the senior puisne judge, or most senior judge after the chief justice, at the Islamabad High Court, he was transferred to the Lahore High Court in April.

According to Dawn, he was placed 12th on the Lahore High Court’s seniority list after the transfer. A recent roster subsequently assigned him to a single bench at its Rawalpindi registry.

Justice Kayani and other senior Islamabad High Court judges had challenged transfers into that court and later contested administrative powers exercised by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.

In his letter, Justice Kayani said he had disposed of more than 23000 cases during his judicial career. He expressed his intention to return to legal practice to protect rights and promote legal awareness.

The supplied report did not include a government response to his criticism or confirmation of presidential action on his resignation.