Hearing put off in plea against law secretary

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday postponed until July 5 the hearing of an application seeking to restrain Masood Chishti from taking up the post of federal law secretary.

Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry of the LHC remarked that this application would be taken up with the main petition challenging the appointment of Masood Chishti as federal law secretary.

During preliminary hearing of the main petition on June 16, the judge had issued notice to the federal government and directed a deputy attorney general to get a reply from the government and submit it by July 5.

Barrister Iqbal Jafree had moved the petition, maintaining that the federal government appointed Chishti on a two-year contract basis in violation of the rules as he was not competent to hold the office. He said the appointment was a glaring case of nepotism as he had been appointed to the post simply because he was a junior to Law Minister Babar Awan.

The petitioner said that, in the past, a retired or on-duty judge was appointed law secretary but now a junior person has been appointed to this slot. He submitted that the government so far had changed four secretaries in just two years. Chishti, he pointed out, is the fifth person but he has been appointed by ignoring the set criteria. He requested the court to declare the appointment illegal.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2010.