ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Judicial Council on Monday rejected three separateapplications submitted by Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiquiseeking records of expenses incurred on the maintenance of officialresidences of all superior court judges. Justice Siddiqui is accused ofspending more money on the refurbishment of his official residence than hewas entitled to. A complaint in this regard had been filed with the SJC,which conducts inquiries against judges on charges of misconduct, by aretired employee of the Capital Development Authority.

For the first time in the country’s judicial history, the SJC had agreed toan open hearing of a reference against a judge upon Justice Siddiqui’s ownrequest. Headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, the five-member councilincludes the chief justices of the Balochistan and Sindh High Courts. Whenthe CJP inquired at the start of the hearing what evidence would be broughton record today, Justice Siddiqui’s lawyer, Hamid Khan, informed the topjudge that his client had submitted applications requesting the council toorder the production of documents and information that he could use in hisdefence.

The information the IHC judge had sought included the total expendituresincurred during the last seven years on the maintenance of each officialaccommodation of the judges of the Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court andall the high courts. The list and particulars of those superior courtjudges should also be provided who, despite having official accommodation,kept on receiving, or are still receiving, house rent allowance at a rateof Rs65,000 per month, the lawyer quoted one of those applications assaying.

However, Justice Nisar remarked that the bench did not want the proceedingsof this reference to drag on, and instead asked the lawyer to focus hisarguments against the allegations brought against the IHC judge. “There isno purpose behind summoning this record,” he observed, noting that theapplications had not sought the record of a specific judge but of allsuperior court judges.