Daily Times

Islamabad High Court former judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui Friday challenged his termination in the Supreme Court (SC), terming it ‘biased’ and ‘unlawful’.

President Arif Alvi had terminated Siddiqui on October 11 after the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) found him guilty of misconduct over a speech he delivered in July against the security institutions of the country.

“In view of the historical evolution of procedure for removal from high public office through an impeachment under the public gaze and open proceedings, the action against the petitioner [Siddiqui] is violative of rule of law and judgements of the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he said in his appeal.

“SJC members were biased against me and my removal in an illegal manner was part of [a] preconceived plan of the worthy chairman of the SJC who intended to deprive the petitioner judge [Siddiqui] from becoming the chief justice of [the] Islamabad High Court. A plan is now afoot to bring ‘his man’ as chief justice of [the] Islamabad High Court. This is itself sufficient ground to establish the malafide exercise of power by the chairman,” the former IHC judge claimed.

Siddiqui in his petition contended that he was terminated without a due process and that his ouster was done without the SJC fulfilling legal prerequisites. He mentioned that no inquiry was conducted into his remarks regarding alleged interference by the country’s premier spy agency in the judicial proceedings. He pleaded the apex court to withdraw the notification of his removal and restore him as IHC judge.

Published in Daily Times, October 27^th 2018.