ISLAMABAD: The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Acting Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, Justice Sarfraz Dogar; Justice Khadim Hussain; Justice Muhammad Asif; the Judicial Commission of Pakistan; and other parties while rejecting the request to stop the work of the transferred judges in the Islamabad High Court.
During Monday’s hearing, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar raised an important point in his remarks, saying that if the seniority of the judge will be counted after the new oath, it will mean that the pre-transfer service will be counted as zero.
Munir A. Malik, the lawyer of the plaintiff judges, reacted to this and said that this is why the constitution emphasizes that the transfer of judges should be subject to their consent. He said that forced conversions are not only against the constitutional interpretation. It also affects the independence of the judiciary.
The Supreme Court issued notices to the parties and adjourned further hearing of the case till April 17. The case has the potential to have a significant ideological impact on future judicial independence and judicial service procedures, which are closely monitored by legal experts and bar councils.
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