Islamabad High Court makes Judge Zeba Chaudhary OSD

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday transferred District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhary and posted her as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD).

According to a notification issued by the Registrar of the Islamabad High Court, IHC Chief Justice Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar ordered the transfer of Judge Zeba Chaudhary, a BPS-21 officer who was serving as Judge of the Special Court (Offences in Banks), to the Islamabad High Court.

The notification further states that the Chief Justice has posted Judge Zeba Chaudhary as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the establishment of the Islamabad High Court with immediate effect, in the public interest.

She has been directed to assume her new responsibilities forthwith.

It may be recalled that Judge Zeba Chaudhary was the same judge before whom Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan apologised in 2023.

In August 2022, Imran Khan had criticised the police and judiciary over the alleged custodial torture of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill and announced that his party would file cases against then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), and Zeba Chaudhary.

Following these remarks, Imran Khan was booked under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The Islamabad High Court had also initiated contempt of court proceedings against him, after which he tendered an apology before the court in 2023.