Lawyer’s plea: SJC drops misconduct charges against SHC judge

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has dropped charges of misconduct against a Sindh High Court (SHC) judge.

SJC Secretary Arbab Arif, who is also the Supreme Court’s Registrar, had written to the SHC judge on June 17 informing him that the proceeding of misconduct against him had been dropped.

“I am directed to convey that the SJC in its hearing of the complaint reference registered as SJC-263 of 2016 on 25-05-2017 has decided to drop the proceeding and has filed the complaint reference”, the letter, sent by SJC’s secretary to the high court, said. Copy of the letter is also available with The Express Tribune.
It is learnt that the SHC judge was accused of misbehaving with a lawyer, who had filed a complaint.

Initially, a show-cause notice was served on SHC Judge Munir A Malik, who appeared before the council. However, the complainant lawyer did not present satisfactory evidence before the council.

Currently, the council is considering cases of misconduct against four high court judges — two of whom belong to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and two to the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The SJC will resume these cases after Eid.

No superior court judge has been ousted by the council since 1970s.

Recently, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, recused himself from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) proceedings against an LHC judge who is also being tried over alleged misconduct charges.

Soon after becoming Chief Justice of Pakistan in September 2015, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali had vowed to activate the council. Cases of misconduct against some judges were short listed and show cause notices were issued to them but trial could not be initiated during his tenure.

Incumbent CJP has expedited the council’s proceeding against accused judges in this year. Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali proposed summary trial of the accused judges.

Recently, the SJC dismissed a plea by a judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking an open trial in proceedings of alleged misconduct against him.

The council, while issuing a 12-page order, observed that it is in the larger interest of judiciary that the proceedings are not conducted in open court, as the issue brought before the SJC and the allegations levelled may ultimately prove false, frivolous or vexatiou

Source: The Express Tribune