‘Part of conspiracy’: Registrar rebuts allegations against IHC chief justice

Advocate Rana Abid in a reference accused the high court judge of misusing authority

ISLAMABAD: The registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday rebuffed allegations levelled against the Chief Justice of the court, Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi, in a reference filed by a lawyer before the Supreme Judicial Council.

In a press note, IHC Registrar Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan rejected the allegations, saying that the reference filed by Advocate Rana Abid Nazir Khan was malevolent and was part of an ongoing conspiracy against the IHC and the judiciary.

In his reference, Khan has levelled eight allegations against the chief justice, ranging from ‘unauthorised withdrawal of house rent allowance’ to ‘payment of pleader-ship fee to an advocate from the public exchequer’, ‘favourism in appointments’, and an ‘attempt to obtain a plot from the CDA.’

He further accuses him of enjoying benefits such as 50 per cent fee concessions for both his daughters from Islamic International University Islamabad (IIUI) and appointment of his brother, Muhammad Idrees Khan Kasi, in BPS-19 as deputy registrar.

Under the law, a Judge who chooses to reside in a house not provided by the government is entitled to a monthly rent allowance of Rs65,000.

The reference claims that the judge resides in a house with monthly rent of Rs110,000, which is being paid by the IHC, and has simultaneously been drawing Rs65,000 per month as house rent allowance since 2011.

Justice Kasi has declared his house at Quetta as his official residence, but both houses in Quetta and Islamabad are being maintained with money from the national exchequer illegally and unlawfully, Khan stated. Recently, he alleged, a generator worth Rs3.5m was installed at his Quetta residence, with the IHC footing the bill.

He prayed the SJC to initiate proceedings under Article 209 of the Constitution against Justice Kasi for violating the code of conduct for judges and shattering the image of judiciary, particularly of the IHC, in the public eye.

Furthermore, he prayed the court to remove Justice Kasi from his post and to recover financial losses incurred to the public exchequer due to his alleged misconduct.

The reference further said that he should also be stopped from exercising judicial and administrative powers till the disposal of the reference.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2015.