SC to hear judge sacking case on 25th

Five-member bench to resume hearing Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddqui’s petition

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court is scheduled to resume the hearing on a petition filed by former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui against his dismissal due to misconduct proceedings undertaken by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

A five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice (CJ) Qazi Faez Isa, will take up the sacked judge’s petition on Tuesday, January 25, at 11:30 am. The bench will also include Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.

On October 11, 2018, President Dr Arif Alvi removed Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui based on the recommendation of the SJC under Article 209(6) read with Article 48(1) of the Constitution.

The SJC unanimously opined that, during a speech at a Rawalpindi District Bar Association event on July 21, 2018, Siddiqui had displayed conduct “unbecoming of a high court judge”. In his speech, the former judge had accused secret agencies of manipulating benches.

Siddiqui later challenged the SJC decision in the apex court, but his petition was not listed for hearing during the tenure of three former chief justices.

Read Polarisation within SC remains dominant during outgoing year

However, the Supreme Court, under Justice Isa, listed the case for hearing and issued notice to the former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Faiz Hameed, on December 15. The court also directed the petitioner to file an amended petition within seven days.

Meanwhile, one of the petitioners has raised objections to the bench formed to hear appeals against the Supreme Court’s decision banning the trial of May 9 rioters in military courts.

The petitioner, former CJ Jawwad S Khawaja, has stated in his application that the bench is not formed according to the manner prescribed in the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023.

On October 23, 2023, a larger bench of the Supreme Court unanimously declared the trials of civilians in military courts as null and void.

However, a six-member SC bench on December 13 suspended the court’s October 23 order while hearing a number of intra-court appeals filed in favor of military court trials of PTI supporters who vandalized state properties on May 9.