*ISLAMABAD: *Islamabad High Court dismissed on Friday petitions seekingretention of the bulletproof car for former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC ruled that retired judges can onlyget specified post-retirement benefits as mentioned in the ‘The SupremeCourt Judges Leave, Pension and Privileges Order, 1997’.
Perusal of the order revealed that there is no provision related to theentitlement of a bulletproof car for the former chief justice of Pakistan.However, a retired judge can retain official driver or orderly afterleaving the office.
Though the judge-turned politician himself has not asked for security, hisnewly established political party’s spokesperson Sheikh Ahsanuddin andanother lawyer Taufiq Asif – in their personal capacity – remained engagedin the legal battle demanding a bulletproof car for him at governmentexpense.
The court, however, dismissed the petitions seeking retention ofbulletproof car for the former CJP and another petition filed by AdvocateRiaz Hanif Rahi against providing the car to the retired SC judge.
The order, which would determine the next move of the petitioners, has yetto be released.
In September last year, the auditor general of Pakistan declared thatChaudhry is not entitled to enjoy a bulletproof car’s fuel and repair attaxpayers’ expense while recommending the authorities to recover the amount.
While taking notice of the ‘unauthorised expenditure of POL/Repair ofvehicle of the retired Chief Justice of Pakistan’, the AGP not onlyrecommended “that amount should be recovered or got regularised” but askedthe law ministry to clarify its position.
The auditors noted that the IHC in the writ petition No 4761 of 2013decided on January 15, 2014, that the former CJP shall be providedfoolproof security along with provision of the bulletproof car for his andhis family’s use without putting embargo of any time specification.