Justice Tariq Jahangiri challenges IHC degree case ruling in FCC, taking the legal battle to the Federal Constitutional Court. The Islamabad High Court had earlier declared the degree case against him maintainable on December 9. Jahangiri filed an appeal, asking the FCC to overturn the IHC decision and dismiss the petition against him.
He argued that the petition filed in the IHC lacked legal grounds and requested that the court reject it outright. To strengthen his case, Jahangiri appointed a senior legal team. Barristers Salahuddin and Akram Sheikh will handle proceedings in the IHC, while Uzair Bhandari will represent him in the FCC.
Justice Jahangiri also requested the recusal of IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar from the bench. He proposed the formation of a full court for the degree case, excluding the chief justice and other transferred judges. Additionally, he asked for time to submit his reply and requested that the hearing be postponed until a related case in the Sindh High Court is resolved.
Earlier, the IHC had rejected two objections raised by Jahangiri regarding the bench in the degree dispute case. The court also directed the registrar of Karachi University to appear on December 18 with the original LLB degree record.
The IHC’s written order stated that Jahangiri’s allegations of bias against the Chief Justice had no legal foundation. It noted the seriousness of claims related to a high court judge’s degree and highlighted the sensitivity of the matter. Consequently, the IHC formed a two-member bench under administrative powers to hear the case.
The court emphasized that forming benches falls under the discretionary authority of the IHC chief justice. Constituting a division bench for a matter of this nature is not unprecedented. The legal proceedings continue to unfold as Justice Jahangiri pursues his appeal in the FCC.