Justice Irfan Saadat Khan takes charge as acting CJ SHC

KARACHI: Justice Irfan Saadat Khan on Saturday took acting charge of the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court after the incumbent CJ Ahmed Ali Shaikh applied for leave for the Hajj pilgrimage, ARY NEWS reported.

Justice Irfan Saadat Khan took oath as acting CJ SHC today, administered by senior judge Justice Aqeel Abbasi.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh has previously refused to take oath as an ad hoc judge, saying he is humbled by the offer of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), but he is not interested.

In a letter penned to the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed, the SHC chief justice said that had learnt about the commission’s decision for which he was humbled, but his answer would remain the same as he had stated earlier.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) had summoned Chief Justice SHC Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh to take oath as an Ad hoc judge of the apex court, but he denied.

The JCP at a meeting presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, had decided by a majority of five to four that the SHC chief justice would be invited to become an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court for a period of one year provided he accorded his consent.