Five Islamabad High Court (IHC) justices on Friday lodged individual appeals with the Supreme Court, contesting the authority and rulings of IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar. The justices assert that the chief justice overstepped his bounds.
In their petitions, the justices argued that no high court possesses the jurisdiction to prohibit a fellow justice from carrying out judicial responsibilities. They maintained that the Constitution, specifically Article 209, outlines the sole process for removing a judge from office. The petitions seek to invalidate the IHC administrative committees’ notices issued on February 3 and July 15, along with all subsequent measures taken.
The petitioners further claim that recently implemented IHC regulations are unconstitutional, highlighting that a high court cannot issue a writ against its own body under Article 199. The five justices – Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Saman Rafat, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq, and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani – presented themselves at the Supreme Court to submit their grievances.
Justice Jahangiri accessed the court through the public entrance, obtained his entry pass, and was joined by his colleagues. The group also underwent the mandated biometric verification before lodging their appeals. Speaking to the press, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani explained that under the new regulations, all five could not have joined a single petition, thus, they opted for separate appeals. Following the submission, the justices departed the court.