Special Judicial Allowance: AGP moves court against contempt notice by tax ombudsman

The auditor general had objected to the allowance which is meant for judges.

ISLAMABAD:

Auditor General (AGP) Muhammad Akhtar Buland Rana, on Wednesday, challenged the contempt notices issued a day earlier by the federal tax ombudsman (FTO) for halting the Special Judicial Allowance in a capital court.

AGP Rana and Deputy AGP Manzar Hafeez Mian filed a petition challenging the contempt notices issued by FTO Shoaib Suddle on March 19 in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). They maintained that the FTO was exclusively mandated to check tax maladministration, while the disbursement of salary or allowance was the domain of the controller general of accounts in light of the 2001 ordinance. The FTO had issued contempt notices to the petitioners under Section 16 of the FTO Ordinance, 2000, for stopping the allowance, they added.

The petition stated that the AGP had objected against the grant of Special Judicial Allowance to FTO Suddle, Attorney General Ifran Qadir and the law secretary in light of a notification issued by the law ministry in March 2010, but the FTO issued contempt notices to the petitioners which was illegal. The petitioners said the FTO was informed of the objection in January 2013, but he did not recieve the letter and deputy director AGP sent a letter to the principle secretary to the prime minister for necessary action in the light of audit objections.

Subsequently, the establishment division sought their comments, but the FTO issued contempt notices before they could give an explanation. The petitioners requested the court to quash the contempt notices. IHC Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi will take up the case on Thursday. FTO Suddle, the attorney general, secretary law and justice (human rights division), secretary law, secretary establishment and the controller general were named as respondents.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2013.