Complaint against Justice Kayani pending in SJC

Advocate Murtaza Qureshi requested the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to conduct an inquiry into the matter

ISLAMABAD:

The six judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) who have alleged executive interference in judicial affairs include one judge facing a complaint in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) over allegations of bias and accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

Advocate Murtaza Qureshi from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has filed a complaint against Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, accusing the IHC judge of displaying partiality in the promotion of judges of the subordinate judiciary in Islamabad and possessing assets beyond his known income.

Qureshi has requested the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The SJC is currently actively engaged in the accountability process of the judiciary, as evidenced by the recent removal of Mazahir Naqvi from the post of Supreme Court judge due to misconduct.

During the tenure of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, there were reports of discord among the judges of the Islamabad High Court. However, no action was taken by the former chief justice at that time.

"We, therefore, request that a judicial convention be called to consider the matter of interference of intelligence operatives with judicial functions and/or intimidation of judges in a manner that undermines independence of the judiciary.

“Such convention might provide further information as to whether judges of other High Courts have had experiences similar to those narrated above. Such institutional consultation might then assist the Supreme Court to consider how best to protect independence of the judiciary, put in place a mechanism to affix liability for those who undermine such independence and clarify for the benefit of individual judges the course of action they must take when they find themselves at the receiving end of interference and/or intimidation by members of the executive", says the letter written by six IHC judges namely Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Muhammad Arbab Tahir and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz to the SJC led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.