SC moved for probe into IHC judges’ letter

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court Bar on Thursday moved the Supreme Court (SC) for probe into Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges’ allegations of interference by intelligence agencies, ARY News reported.

As per details, the plea filed by Islamabad High Court Bar urged the top court for a transparent investigation into the letter fiasco and action must be taken against those who degraded the IHC judges.

The plea stated that only a free judiciary can provide justice to people, hereby compromising on the freedom of judiciary is not acceptable at any cost.

It is pertinent to mention that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa on April 1 took suo moto notice of IHC judges’ letter in which they alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

IHC top judges – including Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Baqir 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 judgment on Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s dismissal case.

Read more: CJP takes suo moto notice of IHC judges’ letter

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”.

In the maiden hearing on the suo moto case on April 3, CJP Qazi Faez Isa hinted at the formation of a full court on the next hearing of suo motu notice taken on the IHC judges’ allegations.

At the outset of the hearing, CJP Isa directed the attorney general to present the press release issued after the full court meeting.