Justice Ijazul Ahsan resigns as SC judge
Pakistan
Justice Ijazul Ahsan resigns as SC judge
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Justice Ijazul Ahsan of the Supreme Court tendered his resignation over unknown reasons on Thursday.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan sent his resignation to President Arif Alvi. He was the third senior most judge of the apex court. He was set to become chief justice in October this year.
On March 10, 2024, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, the second-most senior judge in the hierarchy, is set to retire. Following Justice Ijaz's resignation and Justice Sardar Tariq's retirement, Justice Mansoor will ascend to become the most senior judge on the Supreme Court.
The development comes a day after Justice (retd) Naqvi stepped down from his post as SC judge.
On Jan 10, Supreme Court Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi tendered his resignation, as the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) was hearing a reference against him over the misconduct allegations revolving around amassing wealth beyond his resources.
In his resignation sent to President Arif Alvi, he said it wasn’t possible for him to continue working, as he mentioned his tenure both at the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court (LHC).
“In the circumstances which are a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it is no longer possible for me to continue to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Considerations of due process also compel so," the resignation letter reads.
Today, President Alvi accepted the resignation of Justice Mazahar Naqvi.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan, a member of the five-member Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), declined to join his fellow council members on November 22, 2023, in issuing a new show-cause notice to Justice Mazahar Naqvi.
In a letter addressed to the SJC members on Tuesday, Justice Ijazul Ahsan expressed regret over the hurried proceedings, emphasizing the absence of debate and discussion during the ongoing council sessions.
He noted that the proceedings on November 22, 2023, when the second show-cause notice was issued against Justice Naqvi, lacked any form of discussion or deliberation. This approach raised concerns about the entire process, leading Justice Ahsan to disagree with the adopted procedure and the conduct of the proceedings.
Regarding the allegations in the complaint against Justice Naqvi, the letter conveyed regret that these were baseless, lacking legal merit, and failed even on a preliminary examination of the facts.
The letter further lamented the absence of a reasoned and deliberative approach, which could have prevented the council from making the error in issuing the show-cause notice.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan, notable for his role in the high-profile Panamagate case in 2017 that resulted in the disqualification of then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, also served as the monitoring judge overseeing the implementation of the Panamagate case verdict.
Having assumed the position of Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court on November 6, 2015, Justice Ahsan was elevated to the position of Supreme Court judge on June 28, 2016.
