ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Thursday considered complaints of misconduct, including some involving its own members, in 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 notable display of institutional accountability and transparency, the council decided to first address matters affecting some of its own members. As a result, meetings were held with varied compositions in accordance with the relevant constitutional provisions.
The meeting of the reconstituted council 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 said that the council considered 23 issues in accordance with Article 209 of the Constitution and settled the agenda items.
The SJC did not share details of the 23 questions related to the judges.
In March 2024, six IHC judges wrote an open letter to the SJC alleging intimidation and “brazen interference” in court matters by an intelligence agency regarding politically important cases.
The case remains pending due to ongoing suo motu proceedings.
