New SC bench to take up IHC judges’ letter case on 30th

The Supreme Court on Thursday released its cause list according to which a new six-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, would take up on April 30 the suo motu case of the six Islamabad High Court judges penning a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) alleging that the country’s intelligence agencies were interfering in their adjudication.

The other judges on the new bench include the same ones -- Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, Musarrat Hilali and Naeem Akhtar Afghan -- with Justice Yahya Afridi being the only exception.

In the written order of the first hearing of the case, Justice Afridi observed in his dissenting note that the SC should not use the power of Article 184(3) of the Constitution – meaning he opposed the taking of suo motu notice of the matter.

He added that the matter belonged to the high court, which was not subordinate to the SC.
On April 3, the SC taking suo motu notice of the IHC judges’ letter held the first hearing of the case.
On March 25 this year, six IHC judges wrote a letter to the SJC seeking guidance to counter the interference of intelligence agencies in their affairs.

CJP Isa also held meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss this matter.