Accountability court judge Arshad Malik's dismissal from service will benefit seniority ranking of 131 district and session judges across Punjab, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on July 3 dismissed Arshad Malik – the accountability court judge who had sentenced former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a NAB reference. Arshad Malik had convicted Nawaz Sharif in one reference and acquitted him in another.

The decision to remove Arshad Malik from service was approved by the administrative committee of the Lahore High Court in a meeting presided over by LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan.

After his dismissal, a new seniority list of district and session judges has been compiled across the province, including from Lahore. The seniority of 11 session judges will remain the same.

However, the new seniority list will be applicable once the notification of removal of District and Sessions Judge Arshad Malik will be issued.

District and Sessions Judge Sohail Nasir retained the first position in the new seniority list. Anti-Corruption Court Lahore judge Sohaib Ahmed Rumi retained the second position in the list, DG Punjab Judicial Academy Habibullah Amir retains 6th position while District and Sessions Judge Gujranwala Humayun Imtiaz ranked 7th. Female District and Sessions Judge Azmi Akhtar Chughtai's stood at 8th position in the seniority list.

Judge Anti-Terrorism Court Multan Masood Arshad Bagri retained 9th position while Director General Case Management High Court Safdar Saleem Shahid's seniority has come at 13th number.

District and Sessions Judge Faisalabad Rana Masood Akhtar has been promoted to one place in the seniority list to 14th position.

Judge Special Court Centre Lahore Sheikh Khalid Bashir has moved up to 16th position.

Sessions Judge HR Lahore High Court Sardar Tahir Sabir has moved up to 26th position. District and Sessions Judge Attock Sajjad Hussain has moved up to 30th position.

Sessions Judge Lahore Qaiser Nazir Butt's seniority has been increased by one degree while Judge of Accountability Court Lahore Muhammad Akmal Khan came at 45th position in the seniority list.

District and Sessions Judge Rehan Bashir's seniority rises to 48th position Sessions Judge Rajanpur Khalil Naz's seniority rises to 50th position.

Anti-Terrorism Court Bahawalpur judge Naeem Arshad ranked at 56th. Junior-most District and Sessions Judge in Toba Tek Singh Ghulam Abbas Sial has moved up to 142nd position in the new seniority list, the TV channel reported.