SJC asked to review SC judge’s ‘misconduct’

Two judges urge council to call meeting on matter of financial corruption

ISLAMABAD:

Two senior judges of the Supreme Court and members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), Justice Qazi Faiz Isa and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, have written a judicial letter to the head and members of the Supreme Judicial Council to call a meeting to review the allegations of misconduct and financial corruption levelled against Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.

The letter was written to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh and Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti.

The text of the letter stated that written complaints had been received from the Pakistan Bar Council and other petitioners against Justice Naqvi, alleging misconduct and financial corruption.

In the letter, it is said that by calling a meeting of the SJC, the allegations levelled against the judge should be reviewed if they were false or true. The Pakistan Bar Council sent a complaint against Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.

“Article 209 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan establishes the Supreme Judicial Council of Pakistan (‘the Constitution and ‘the Council respectively) and it is the duty of the Council to inquire into the capacity and misconduct of a judge.”

The letter stated, “Hon’ble Chief Justice, we are waiting for you to convene a meeting of the Council to consider the complaints and to ascertain whether there is substance in the stated allegations; we must exonerate the respondent Judge and fully restore his honour or else submit our report in terms of the Constitution. To leave the respondent Judge under a cloud of uncertainty undermines both his and Judiciary’s repute.”

The two judges said that a meeting should be called to determine whether the allegations against Justice Naqvi were true or false, if the allegations were false, the honour of the judge should be restored, if the allegations were true, action should be taken according to the Constitution.

According to the text of the letter, keeping the judge under the shadow of the accusations was affecting the honour of the judge and the judiciary. It was necessary to call a meeting of the SJC immediately to restore the independence of the judiciary and the public's trust in it.

The bar councils of the country had announced that they would file a complaint in the SJC against Justice Naqvi on the audio leak of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi.

The Balochistan Bar Council and others had filed references against Justice Naqvi.