Visually impaired lawyer set to become judicial magistrate

The Sindh High Court's constitutional bench has ordered the appointment of a visually impaired lawyer as a judicial magistrate under the Sindh Judicial Services Rules.

A two-member SHC constitutional bench, headed by Justice KK Agha and also comprising Justice Nisar, gave the orders while adjudicating a petition filed by the lawyer, Sadiq Hussain, seeking a relaxation of the medical fitness requirements for judicial appointments due to his visual impairment.

The bench ruled that Sadiq, a practicing lawyer, is eligible for the position of judicial magistrate despite his visual impairment. The decision requires the implementation of the appointment within four weeks, or upon the next available vacancy.

In its written order, the bench ruled that Sadiq has been able to sustain himself through his legal practice. The bench further directed that copies of its decision be sent to the provincial law secretary and the SHC registrar for implementation. Sadiq's legal counsel, Advocate Haseeb Jamali, had argued that his client underwent a medical examination upon the recommendation of the Selection Committee, but his medical certificate was withheld due to his visual impairment. The Selection Committee had advised him to approach the SHC for relaxation of the medical fitness requirement.

The petitioner had submitted his application to the SHC registrar, but no action was taken. The petitioner's counsel then approached the constitutional bench requesting that he be granted the same benefits as recommended by the Selection Committee in 2015. The matter, pending since 2016, was brought before the SHC again in 2024 by Advocate Jamali.

Sadiq, who had been struggling for nine years to achieve his goal, shared his gratitude. He revealed that his late father had always wanted him to become a judge and had supported him throughout his journey. Sadiq's father passed away in 2018 before seeing the fruition of his son's dreams.