Misconduct complaint filed against Justice Mazahar Naqvi in SJC

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) lawyers forum Punjab on Saturday filed a complaint of misconduct in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Supreme Court Judge Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi.

In the complaint, the lawyers wrote to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, requesting to initiate an investigation against Justice Naqvi for “committing misconduct in view of certain viral audio clips released on social media”.

It added that Justice Naqvi “deviated from the code of conduct" and “passed inconsistent orders in the same matter”.

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“This attitude and action runs counter to the basic spirit of Code of Conduct according to which a judge is expected to avoid treating similar causes differently,” added the complaint.

The lawyers also attached transcripts of the audio leaks with the complaint and added that “it is this backdrop that we feel obligated to bring to your kind notice the violations of judicial code of conduct, Constitution of the Law by Justice Naqvi who is presently functioning as a judge of the SC”.

The complaint furthered that Justice Naqvi “has misused his authority as a judge of the apex court in the most obvious manners”.

The controversy surrounding apex court judges began with two audio clips ascribed to former chief minister Punjab Pervaiz Elahi which had left the top court facing calls to open an investigation into the matter and dispel the alarming impression that brings the judiciary “under the question mark”.

Soon after, a new audio clip allegedly featuring PTI leader Yasmin Rashid and Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar emerged on social media where the male voice was heard saying that he had "his man" at the apex court.

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A day earlier, a fresh audio leak purported to be of a telephone conversation between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Advocate Faisal Chaudhry surfaced addin fuel to the ongoing controversy involving the country's senior judges.

In the alleged conversation between Fawad and Faisal, the names of three judges - Chief Justice Lahore High Court Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and Supreme Court judge Justice Mazahir Ali Naqvi come up.