ISLAMABAD: A day after an 8-member larger bench of the apex court started hearing the petitions challenging a bill seeking to curtail the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s powers of Pakistan, lawyer Mian Dawood filed a reference against the judges.
It was registered by the same lawyer who had earlier filed a complaint against Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.
In a ten-page reference filed before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the complainant accused Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and seven other justices of being guilty of serious misconduct under Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 of the Code of Conduct.
Bench under criticism
It should be mentioned here that the 8-member SC bench has been facing criticism since its formation two days ago, with the government rejecting the larger bench, terming it to be controversial and a testament to the division within the supreme court.
The judges named in the petition are Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, Justice Shahid Waheed, and Justice Munib Akhtar.
He claimed that the judges mentioned above have violated the constitution’s Article 209 and breached the Code of Conduct to be observed by senior judges of thea apex court and the high courts, as issued by the SJC (Supreme Judicial Council).
Lawyer Dawood alleged that the Chief Justice’s misconduct is 3-fold; that is: He fixed the petition in self-interest as the bill was aimed to structure his absolute powers.
Secondly, he presided over the bench hearing the issues and violated all rules of administration of justice and propriety.
Thirdly, the CJP-led bench passed an obviously glaring unconstitutional, illegal, mala fide and anticipatory order.
Lawyer Dawood accused the “4 future chief justices”, including Justice Akhtar, Justice Malik, Justice Ahsan, and Justice Waheed, of the same charges pressed against him.
