Justice Isa seeks speedy trial as SC takes up review petitions

Judge says he seeks an early verdict on the set of review requests, seeking larger-bench hearings, as one justice is due to retire in April

Justice Qazi Faez isa sought an early decision on his appeal in the majority judgement that quashed the presidential reference against him as the Supreme Court (SC) took up his petition in the case on Monday.

Justice isa, who called on a 10-judge bench of the top court, said he seeks an early verdict on the set of review requests, seeking larger-bench hearings, as one judge, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, is due to retire in April.

“This case is important because it relates to the accountability of the judiciary and transparency of their conduct,” he said.

Subsequently, the court served a notice on Attorney general of Pakistan (AgP) Khalid Jawed Khan and adjourned the hearing until Tuesday.

in June, the apex court had dismissed the presidential reference which sought action against Justice isa for non-disclosure of family members’ properties in his wealth statement.

The reference filed in May 2019 alleged that he acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015, but did not disclose them in his wealth returns. Justice isa contested the allegation, saying he is not a beneficial owner of the flats — neither directly nor indirectly.

However, seven of the 10 judges on the bench hearing the case ordered the inland Revenue Department (iRS) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to seek explanations from the judge’s wife and children on the nature and source of funding for three properties in their names in the united Kingdom and submit a report to the SC registrar.

Justice isa then approached the apex court, seeking a review of the decision. Bar associations, including the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA), also filed similar petitions.

The petitioners had contended that the three judges — Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Yahya Afridi — who wrote dissenting notes in the detailed reasons should not be excluded from the bench hearing the review petitions.

in December, the apex court reserved its verdict, before releasing it on February 22 wherein it referred the matter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) gulzar Ahmed.