IHC transfers: Six deputy registrars sent to district courts

Panel reviewing appointments since 2011 submits report to SC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Saturday transferred six of its deputy registrars to the district judiciary as civil judges in line with the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment over illegal appointments to the IHC.

Meanwhile, court sources said, a three-member committee, constituted in compliance of the apex court order to examine all appointments made since 2011 in violation of the rules and subsequently de-notify them, has sent a report regarding its findings to the SC.

As per the notification, IHC Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi has issued transfer orders of Muhammad Shabbir, Muhammad Inamullah, Imran Khan Sikandari, Shaukat Rehman Khan, Muhammad Adnan Jamali and Sanam Bokhari.

The orders further revealed that all six officials of the Islamabad Judicial Service have been transferred to the district and sessions courts – East and West – as the civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates with immediate effect.

The IHC has transferred Shabbir, Inamullah and Sikandari to district East while Khan, Adnan and Bokhari were transferred to district West.  In its judgment passed on September 26, the Supreme Court had constituted the three-member committee with directions to complete the exercise within a period of one month from the date of communication of the judgment and submit a detailed report.

The SC had declared the appointments made in the IHC since 2011 onwards null and void, with the ruling that these appointments were made without following the codal formalities of competitive process.

While declaring the appointments illegal, the apex court had observed that if the competent authority itself started “cherry picking” by deliberately ignoring and overlooking meritorious candidates in appointment, the image of the institution would be tainted beyond repair.

In pursuance of the orders passed by the SC, Justice Kasi had earlier terminated his brother, Muhammad Idrees Khan Kasi, from the post of deputy registrar (BPS-19) in connection with the illegal appointments case.

Moreover, the three-member committee of the IHC judges sacked the IHC registrar, Atiqur Rehman, who was re-hired on contractual basis in June, and an assistant (BPS-14) Farzana Bahadur.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2016.