• A gathering of the entire court suggests reinstating ‘inspection teams’ to curb interference in judicial matters
• Internal sources refute claims of division among judges; a detailed proposal to be presented to the Supreme Court tomorrow
ISLAMABAD: In response to allegations of interference by intelligence agencies in judicial affairs, the Islamabad High Court held a full court meeting proposing various measures, including the revival of empowered inspection teams.
Chaired by Chief Justice Aamir Farooq, the meeting aimed to address concerns raised by six judges regarding alleged meddling by intelligence operatives. Notably, the IHC registrar was absent due to the sensitivity of the issue.
During the over two-hour meeting, judges discussed the matter amicably, and their collective stance will be conveyed to the Supreme Court in the ongoing suo motu case.
Judges, including Senior Puisne Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Minagul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejza Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, unanimously emphasized the need to prevent intelligence agency interference in court proceedings.
A comprehensive proposal addressing these concerns will be submitted to the Supreme Court by April 25, as requested during the hearing on the suo motu case.
To ensure the court’s independence, the judges decided to reactivate inspection teams and empower inspection judges to address complaints from judicial officers about interference. Additionally, they proposed amendments to bench formation rules and suggested following the Practice and Procedure Act to share bench formation powers among senior judges.
Participants dismissed any notion of division among the judges, reaffirming their commitment to judicial independence and resisting intelligence agency involvement in judicial matters.
They cited instances of attempted manipulation by intelligence agencies in high-profile cases, leading to an adjournment of proceedings in the cipher case until today.
The Supreme Court initiated suo motu action based on a letter from six IHC judges, highlighting intelligence agency interference and supporting a probe into these allegations.
