ISLAMABAD – The trial of Islamabad High Court’s judge, Justice Shaukat AzizSiddiqui would be conducted in an open court by the Supreme JudicialCouncil in a first-ever practice, it emerged on Saturday.
According to local media reports, the directives were issued by the chiefjustice, who heads the SJC, on a request by the judge against whom multiplecharges have been framed in a reference pending from 2015.
Though no official schedule is available, well-placed sources claim thatthe SJC will start recording evidence in the case on July 30.
Justice Siddiqui has repeatedly sought an open trial in the reference,however, his earlier plea in this regard was rejected in May last year.
The judicial council which looks into the alleged misconduct by the judgesof the superior judiciary had asked for an in-camera trial againstwhich top court’s larger bench, headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat, hadsuggested reconsidering the decision.What’s the Reference?
The reference against IHC judge alleged him of misusing his authority forpersonal gains.
A former director of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), MuhammadAnwar Gopang, had filed the reference charging the judge for pressurisingthe CDA to construct a special cage for his pigeons on the rooftop of hisofficial residence; the amount spent to construct the cage was not shown inthe final bills.
The reference accused the honorable judge of shifting his residence thricein search for a ‘better’ abode. He then allegedly compelled CDA to renovatehis existing residence despite the fact that the house was the property ofthe Public Works Department (PWD) and PWD was responsible for itsrenovation.
The complainant (Mr Gopang) claimed in the reference that on theinstructions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the judge was allotted HouseNo 91-H in Sector F/6-3 of Islamabad, however, after sometime, the judgeused his connections to find a better place to live, and got allotted HouseNo 1-A, in Sector F/7-3.
The reference said his private secretary wrote a letter to the departmentconcerned demanding change of residence for the third time. Eventually, hegot House No 2-A in Sector F/7-4, which was on the pool of the PWD.
The house needed repair and renovation. On the insistence of JusticeSiddiqui, the renovation work was carried out by the CDA, which cost thenational exchequer more than Rs 12 million. The complainant also submitteddocumentary evidences in support of his application.
Another charge was leveled in the reference that Justice Siddiqui had veryclose terms with CDA Director Manzoor Hussain Shah and had ordered the CDAto allot a plot to him. The estimated market value of the first plot was Rs10 million whereas the plot which the officer got on his choice was worthRs 50 million, Daily Times reported
According to the reference, Shahid Singha fell ill and admitted to aprivate hospital. On the orders of Justice Siddiqui, the CDA had to pay forhis medical treatment that cost the authority Rs 377,986.
The applicant requested the SJC to take stern action against JusticeSiddiqui.