SC declares Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s removal ‘illegal’

ISLAMABAD: On Friday, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that former Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s dismissal was unlawful.

According to specifics, the Supreme Court (SC) declared its reserved decision in the dismissal case of former judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui from the Islamabad High Court.

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According to the 23-page ruling written by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Siddiqui ought to be recognized as a retired high court judge and be entitled to all retirement advantages.

The former judge had objected to his removal from office following a speech he gave at the Rawalpindi Bar Association to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

On Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s appeal against his removal as an IHC judge, a five-member bench led by CJP Qazi Faez Isa and composed of Justices Amin-ud-Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Irfan Saadat Khan heard the case.

Khawaja Haris came before the supreme court to represent former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed and Brigadier (retd) Irfan Ramay, while attorney Hamid Khan represented the former IHC judge in the case.

The attorney for Justice Siddiqui urged the court to do a “fair inquiry” at the outset of the hearing, claiming that the SJC was required by Article 209(6) of the Constitution to undertake an inquiry in order to prepare a report for the president.

Hamid argued that the accusation against his client was related to a speech and requested the court to overturn Siddiqui’s ruling when questioned about it.

Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, stated that the speech’s text—rather than its content—is the issue. Half of the judiciary will return home if a judge is ousted for making a speech, said the chief justice.

It is important to note that on July 21, 2018, Dr. Arif Alvi, the then-President of Pakistan, removed Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, a judge on the Islamabad High Court (IHC), from his position based on a recommendation from the Supreme Judicial Council regarding his contentious speech before the Rawalpindi District Bar Association.