ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the case of former judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Shaukat Aziz Siddqui, would be decided before June 2021. A five-member bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard Shaukat Siddiqui's petition regarding his removal as judge of the IHC.

The bench, after directing the counsel for Rawalpindi Bar Association (RBA), Karachi Bar Association (KBA), and Sindh Bar Council to file appeals against the objections of the SC Registrar's order, adjourned the case until the second week of January, 2021.

Hamid Khan representing Shaukat Aziz Siddqui, requested the bench to give a specific date as his client is due to retire in June, next year.

Justice Bandial, upon that, said; "We shall decide the instant matter before that."

At the onset of the hearing, Rasheed A Rizvi, appearing on behalf of the KBA, said other bar associations had also filed petitions, pleading to become a party to that case, but the SC office had neither allotted number to their petitions nor informed them about the objections.

Justice Bandial then asked the Reader to check. He said that the SC registrar office had raised objections on their petitions. The court, therefore, asked the bars' counsel to file appeals against the registrar's objections. Shaukat Siddiqui was removed by the president of Pakistan subsequent to a Supreme Judicial Council's (SJC's) report.

He, therefore, in October last year had filed petition under Article 184(3) read with Articles 187 and 190 of the Constitution praying that the SJC report and notification be set aside, and he may be restored as judge of the IHC.

Siddiqui contended that he had been deprived of his constitutional and legal rights including protection under Articles 4, 10A and 25 of the Constitution, which resulted into the report of the SJC and the notification. He submitted that the report of the SJC was not a judicial decision and it was the nature of an advice.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020