Islamabad: The Supreme Court on Tuesday resumed the hearing of the suo motu case on the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges’ letter pertaining to allegations of interference in judicial affairs.
A six-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case.
At the outset of the hearing, CJP Isa observed that the top court committee had decided to hear this case under Article 184/3 of the Constitution.
“There was no pick and choose in this hearing,” said the CJP, adding that Justice Afridi had recused himself from the bench.
The Supreme Court then adjourned the hearing till May 7.
On April 1st, the SC took suo motu notice of the IHC judges — Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jehangiri, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Justice Saman Rifat Imtiaz — seeking guidance from the council on “interference” of the spy agencies in courts’ affairs.
The judges, in the letter to CJP who is also chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), wrote: “We are writing to seek guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with regard to the duty of a judge to report and respond to actions on part of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, that seek to interfere with discharge of his/her official functions and qualify as intimidation, as well as the duty to report any such actions that come to his/her attention in relation to colleagues and/or members of the courts that the High Court supervises.”
During the maiden hearing of the case, the CJP had asserted that “any attack” on the judiciary’s independence would not be tolerated while hinting at forming a full court to hear the case.