Justice Isa objects to sharing CJP order with media

(Karachi) Justice Qazi Faez Isa has expressed resentment over release of Supreme Court’s order barring him from hearing cases involving Prime Minister Imran Khan, to the media before being shared with him, local media reported. Justice Isa has sought explanation from the Supreme Court’s registrar in this regard.

As per details, on February 11, top court's five-judge larger bench ordered that Justice Isa should not hear cases involving PM Imran in order “to uphold principle of un-biasness and impartiality.” The court was hearing a case pertaining to PM's allocation of development funds to lawmakers.

The five-page verdict, authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, noted that Justice Isa has already filed a petition against the prime minister in his personal capacity.

“Therefore, to uphold the principle of un-biasness and impartiality, it would be in the interest of justice that the Honorable Judge [Isa] should not hear matters involving the Prime Minister of Pakistan,” said the order.

Justice Isa, who was part of the larger bench that heard the lawmakers funding case, has, however, written a letter to Supreme Court Registrar Khawaja Daud, stating that the order was passed and released to the media before being sent to him.

The judge said it is a settled practice that after the judge heading a bench writes an order, he sends it to the next senior judge and so on. “However, Justice Ijazul Ahsan [who is junior to Justice Isa] apparently received the order but I [Justice Isa] did not. And the world knows of it before I have seen it,” he added.

In the letter, Justice Isa raised five questions to the apex court registrar.

Justice Isa, who is the senior most judge, is in line to become the 29th chief justice of Pakistan in September 2023. asked the official why the court order was not sent to him and why the settled practice of sending it to the next senior judge was not followed.

He asked how the judgment was released to the media before he read it let alone sign it in agreement or disagreement. The judge also asked the registrar why the judgment was released to the media. He also directed the official to provide him the case file so that he could “finally read the judgment”.