The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared null and void the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) September 16 order that had barred Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri from performing judicial work. The apex court had already suspended the order a day earlier.
A five-member constitutional bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, heard the petition filed by Justice Jahangiri.
During Monday’s proceedings, notices were issued to Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan and Advocate General Islamabad to appear in person. The attorney general, while addressing the bench, remarked that no judge could be restrained from judicial work through an interim order. Respondent Mian Daud also concurred, stating that such a restriction could not be justified.
The bench observed that objections raised by the Supreme Court registrar’s office were still pending on the petition filed earlier in the IHC against Justice Jahangiri. It directed the high court to first decide on those objections.
The controversy traces back to July 2023 when a complaint regarding Justice Jahangiri’s alleged fake law degree was filed before the Supreme Judicial Council. A related petition challenging his appointment was also filed in the IHC earlier this year. The matter gained traction after a letter purportedly issued by Karachi University’s controller of examinations surfaced on social media, questioning the authenticity of his degree.
On September 16, an IHC division bench led by Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan had restrained Justice Jahangiri from judicial duties through a written order on a plea filed by Advocate Mian Daud. Three days later, Justice Jahangiri personally approached the Supreme Court, requesting the suspension of the order and seeking to bar the IHC bench from further proceedings.
Separately, the Sindh High Court last week dismissed seven petitions challenging the cancellation of Justice Jahangiri’s degree on grounds of non-prosecution.
