ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday accepted the resignation of Supreme Court Judge Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi under Article 179 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

According to the statement issued by the office of the President, President Dr Alvi accepted the resignation on the advice of Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar under “Article 179 of the Constitution”.

Justice Naqvi sent his resignation to the President a day before yesterday (Wednesday) as he felt it was no longer possible for him to serve as a Supreme Court judge.

Several complaints of misconduct were filed against Justice Naqvi with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) by lawyers as well as the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) seeking his removal, particularly after his name surfaced in connection with an alleged audio leak.

“It was an honour to be appointed and to serve as a judge, first of the Lahore High Court and then as the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” Justice Naqvi wrote, saying in the circumstances, which were a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it was no longer possible for him to continue to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court.

“Considerations of due process also compel so, I, therefore, effective today resign as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he had stated in his resignation letter.

The resignation came after a three-member bench of the apex court — headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Musarrat Hilali have rejected Justice Naqvi’s plea seeking halting of the SJC’s proceedings.

Naqvi is not the first superior court judge to resign from his position in view of the SJC proceedings. So far, seven judges of the Supreme Court, including Justice Naqvi, have resigned before completion of their terms for a variety of reasons.

Justice Naqvi may now be entitled to pension and other privileges after his resignation. If the SJC had removed him for misconduct, he would have lost these benefits.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024