Application Filed for Another Reference, Former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry Asks SJC to Reject Complaint Against Justice Faez Isa
An application has been filed with the with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for a new reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa, alleging that the senior Supreme Court judge violated the code of conduct for members of the judiciary by “writing letters to the President of Pakistan and sharing it with the media”.
“Choosing a public forum for voicing his personal and subjective views and opinions, Justice Isa had denounced the judiciary of this country as a whole, he had targeted the chief executive (prime minister) of the country and had used offensive language to criticise the matter,” it added.
The complaint has been submitted by Lahore-based lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt who said, “By levelling all such allegations publically without substantiating the same, Justice Isa has violated various Articles of the Code of Conduct issued by the Honourable Supreme Judicial Council under the mandate of Article-209(8) of the constitution.”
After President Arif Alvi authorised the filing of a reference, Justice Isa had written a letter to him, seeking clarity regarding reports that the government had filed a reference against him over allegations of misconduct. Copies of the letter were sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan and the apex court as well.
In the second letter to the president, he requested a copy of the reference filed against him.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa had also weighed in on the matter, saying the government could not remove Justice Isa and that the SJC would deal with the matter fairly.
“Trust the judges. They will ensure justice [in the matter],” the chief justice said at the Cambridge University in the UK while responding to a query about Justice Isa.
On the other hand, former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Thursday wrote a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and asked for the rejection of a presidential reference against Justice Isa.
Calling the reference “against constitutional provisions, false, untrue, without substance and motivated,” the former chief justice asked for the reference to be rejected without further proceedings.
The former chief justice also requested the SJC to take “action against the President and Prime Minister as provided under Rule 14 of the ‘the Supreme Judicial Council Procedure of Inquiry 2005′”.
In his letter, Chaudhry also alleged that the reference against Justice Isa does not state anywhere that he violated any Article of the Code of Conduct.
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