Islamabad — Islamabad’s judicial corridors are witnessing heightened tension as five judges of the Islamabad High Court have individually petitioned the Supreme Court of Pakistan, contesting the suspension of Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri and questioning the limits of administrative authority within the judiciary.
According to BBC Urdu, the petitioners include Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Saman Rifaat and Justice Ijaz Ishaq Khan alongside Justice Jahangiri himself. Each has filed a separate plea but the core grievance remains the same, that administrative powers should not override judicial functions.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani’s petition specifically names the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court and the State of Pakistan as respondents, seeking a declaration that the Chief Justice cannot unilaterally alter an already constituted bench, remove judges from the roster at will, or bar them from performing judicial duties without due constitutional process. The petitions argue that under Article 209 of the Constitution, a High Court judge can only be restrained from duties through a prescribed legal mechanism.
The controversy began when a two member bench headed by Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar ordered Justice Jahangiri to cease judicial work while hearing a case concerning the alleged authenticity of his law degree. Following this, the official duty roster was revised and his name was removed from all benches.
Justice Jahangiri has separately challenged this order in the Supreme Court, asserting that the decision infringes upon his rights under Article 10A, compromises judicial independence, and tarnishes the reputation he has built over years of service. His petition warns that the loss of judicial time cannot be remedied and that the damage will be irreparable if the order is not suspended.
The case now places the spotlight on a sensitive constitutional question about where administrative authority ends and judicial independence begins. The Supreme Court’s eventual ruling could set a precedent with far reaching implications for Pakistan’s judiciary.