ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Tariq Jahangiri on Monday expressed a lack of confidence in the bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar hearing the case concerning his academic degree and requested that the matter be referred to another bench.
The proceedings were conducted by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dogar and Justice Azam Khan. Justice Jahangiri, along with counsel for the Islamabad Bar Association, appeared before the court.
At the outset, Chief Justice Dogar asked the lawyers to take their seats, noting the presence of Justice Jahangiri in the courtroom.
Justice Jahangiri informed the court that he had received the notice on Thursday but had not been provided a copy of the petition. Terming the matter an old case, he sought time to obtain and review the petition before responding.
He formally objected to Chief Justice Dogar presiding over the bench. In response, the chief justice remarked that both were judges and that a petition had been filed against Justice Jahangiri.
Justice Jahangiri argued that the situation constituted a conflict of interest, maintaining that the chief justice could not hear a case against him. He clarified that his objection was not to the proceedings themselves but to the composition of the bench.
He further contended that a writ of quo warranto is ordinarily heard by a single bench, not a division bench, and objected to being restrained from judicial work, calling such a step unprecedented in judicial history. The chief justice responded that Justice Jahangiri would be accorded the same justice as any other individual.
Justice Jahangiri also pointed out that even in murder cases, charges are framed after seven days, whereas he had been given only three days’ notice. He cautioned that establishing such a precedent in quo warranto proceedings could have serious and far-reaching consequences.
Placing his statement on oath, Justice Jahangiri asserted that his degree was genuine, adding that the concerned university had neither declared it fake nor denied issuing it.
Addressing the chief justice directly, Justice Jahangiri reiterated that he did not repose confidence in the current bench and again requested that the case be transferred to another bench, along with sufficient time to prepare his defence.
