ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Thursday reviewed allegations of misconduct, including some involving its own members, during a meeting chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi.
The meeting was attended by Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) Chief Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum and Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.
According to a statement from the SJC, in a remarkable demonstration of institutional accountability and transparency, the council decided to first address issues involving some of its own members. Consequently, meetings with different composition were held in accordance with the relevant constitutional provisions.
The reconstituted council meeting was chaired by FCC Chief Justice Aminud Din Khan and attended by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Shahid Waheed and Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice SM Attique Shah as alternate members.
However, the SJC statement did not reveal the fate of the complaints filed against its own members.
It was reported that the council considered 23 matters in accordance with Article 209 of the Constitution and arranged the agenda items.
The SJC did not share details of the 23 matters involving judges.
In March 2024, six IHC judges wrote an open letter to the SJC alleging intimidation and “blatant interference” in judicial matters by an intelligence agency in relation to cases of political consequence.
The matter remains pending due to an ongoing ex officio process.
