IHC Judges Letter: SHC Bar pleads to SC for a monitoring system

ISLAMABAD: Sindh High Court (SHC) Bar has pleaded to the Supreme Court to declare the government’s inquiry commission over IHC six judges’ letter as void, ARY News reported on Monday.

The SHC Bar in a petition of the apex court over the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges’ letter, pleaded for an appropriate inquiry. “The government should be directed to devise a monitoring system over the matter,” the SHC Bar requested.

The high court bar has also pleaded that it should be ensured that any state institution could not cross its constitutional mandate.

“The independence of judiciary is a constitutional requirement and fundamental right of the people,” SHC Bar pleaded.

Earlier, the legal fraternity had demanded the constitution of a full bench to hear the suo moto case regarding IHC judges’ letter, alleging interference in judicial functions by intelligence agencies.

All Pakistan Lawyers Convention, held in Lahore rejected a larger bench formed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The lawyers demanded the apex court to constitute a full bench to proceed with the hearing.

It is pertinent to mention here that the apex court formed a new bench to hear a suo motu case regarding the allegations of interference by intelligence agencies in judicial functions after Justice Yahya Afridi recused himself from the hearing.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa would head the bench which also comprises Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhaill, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

The Chief Justice on April 1 took suo moto notice of IHC judges’ letter in which they alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

IHC judges, including Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Salman Rafat Imtiaz – penned the letter to SJC in the aftermath of Supreme Court’s March 22 judgement on Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s dismissal case.

In the letter, the top judges sought guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with regard to the duty of a “judge to report and respond to actions on part of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, that seek to interfere with discharge of his/her official functions and qualify as intimidation”.