The Supreme Judicial Council, comprising three senior Judges of the Supreme Court and two senior most Chief Justices of High Courts will resume hearing of the Presidential Reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Wednesday.
Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association High Court and District bar associations have already announced countrywide boycott of courts to express solidarity with the Chief Justice. Opposition parties will also continue their protest on the days of appearance of Justice Iftikhar before the Supreme Judicial Council.
Justice Iftikhar has challenged the constitutionality of the Council, powers of the President /SJC to restrain a Judge of a Superior Court from performing his function till conclusion of the Reference under Article 209 of the Constitution, bias of three members of the SJC against him, appointment of an Acting Chief Justice in the presence of the CJ.
Meanwhile, Justice Iftikhar has announced to travel to Lahore by road on May 5 to address the Lahore High Court Bar Association. The Punjab government has requested the CJ to travel to Lahore by air and not by road because of precarious law and order situation in the province'.
In a letter to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the Punjab government has said that it was making foolproof security arrangements for the CJ, but it has received reports that terrorists are planning to target VIPs and in the prevailing security environment such an eventuality could not be ruled out.
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