Court's accounts scrutiny: PAC summons to SC registrar suspended

Justice Afzal says parliamentary watchdog did not have the authority to audit the expenditure of the courts.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday suspended a summoning notice issued for its Registrar, Dr Faqir Hussain by the Public Accounts Committee for scrutiny of the court’s accounts, Express News reported.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, was hearing the petition filed against issuance of the notice to the registrar of the Supreme Court.

The petitioner, senior lawyer and former president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association Rasheed A Razvi, was present during the hearing and said that the summon undermined the Supreme Court’s authority and in hindsight, went against the Constitution.

Justice Afzal said that the parliamentary watchdog did not have the authority to audit the expenditure of the courts, as according to the Constitution, the judiciary was treated as an autonomous institution.

The hearing of the petition was adjourned indefinitely.

Dr Hussain had snubbed the panel in an earlier public statement and refused to appear for scrutiny of the court’s accounts.

Till 2005, the registrar used to appear before the PAC – a practice discontinued since then. The committee has been urging the Supreme Court to review its decision since 2008.

The Supreme Court is of the view that since its allocations are made out of the Federal Consolidated Fund, they cannot be discussed by the PAC.

Other departments like the Presidency, Senate, National Assembly, Election Commission of Pakistan and Auditor General of Pakistan would also claim exemptions. These departments also receive their budget allocation from the Federal Consolidated Fund.