SC fixes petition against removal of ex-IHC judge for hearing on Dec 14

Five-judge larger bench, led by CJP, will take up constitutional petition of ex-judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui

ISLAMABAD:

A five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, will take up former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui's constitutional petition against his removal on December 14.

The members of the bench included Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) had found Siddiqui guilty of misconduct over a speech he delivered in July 2018 before the Rawalpindi District Bar Association.

Siddiqui had hurled allegations against personnel of a security agency, claiming that they manipulated the judicial proceedings.

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Last month, he had filed a miscellaneous application with the apex court for early hearing of his petition against the SJC’s decision.

The plea requested the court to declare his removal notification null and void. The former judge in his application adopted the stance that his case was pending since October 2018, adding that the last hearing on it was conducted on June 2022.

He noted that the case was related to his basic human rights.

Earlier, a five-judge larger bench led by former CJP Umar Ata Bandial was hearing Siddiqui’s petition.

However, the matter could not be decided during the tenures of the last two CJPs.