Islamabad: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri has expressed a lack of confidence in the bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar in allegedly fake degree controversy case and requested that the matter be transferred to another bench. Meanwhile the chief justice while rejecting the Justice Tariq Jahangiri's stance directed him to submit response and appear again personally or through counsel on Thursday before the bench.
The hearing of the case related to Justice Jahangiri's academic degree was conducted by a bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan. Justice Jahangiri and the counsel for the Islamabad Bar Association appeared before the court during the proceedings.
Addressing the courtroom, Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar asked lawyers to take their seats, noting that Justice Jahangiri was present in court.
Justice Jahangiri stated that he had received the notice on Thursday and that it did not include a copy of the petition. He said the case was old and requested time to obtain and review the petition.
Justice Jahangiri formally objected to Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar presiding over the bench, to which the Chief Justice responded that both were judges and that a petition had been filed against Justice Jahangiri.
Justice Jahangiri argued that this amounted to a conflict of interest, stating that the Chief Justice could not hear a case against him. He maintained that his objection was not to the proceedings themselves, but to the composition of the bench.
He further contended that a writ of quo warranto is heard by a single bench, not a division bench of the Islamabad High Court. He also objected to being restrained from judicial work, calling it unprecedented in judicial history.
In response, the CJ Dogar remarked that Justice Jahangiri would receive the same justice as any other individual.
Justice Jahangiri further said that even in murder cases, charges are framed after seven days, whereas he had been given only three days' notice. He cautioned that setting such a precedent in quo warranto proceedings could have far-reaching and damaging consequences for the judiciary.
He also stated, under oath, that his degree was genuine, adding that the university had never declared it fake nor claimed that it had not issued it.
Addressing the CJ Dogar directly, Justice Jahangiri said he did not trust the current bench and requested that the case be assigned to another bench, along with reasonable time to prepare his defence.
The IHC directed the registrar of Karachi University to appear with the relevant record and instructed that copies of the petition and all related documents be provided to Justice Jahangiri.
Meanwhile, the petitioner Mian Dawood Advocate requested the court for daily hearings, saying that a considerable time had already elapsed in the said case, adding that Justice Jahangiri is not responding on merit from last one and half years.
"You [Justice Jahangiri] will get justice just like anyone else gets it," noted IHC CJ Justice Dogar. The court then adjourned the hearing till Thursday (December 18).
The case centres on a controversy regarding Justice Jahangiri's LLB degree, which was cancelled by the University of Karachi.
According to the university's notification dated September 25, the university syndicate, in its meeting on August 31, 2024, approved "Resolution No 6" in compliance with the competent authority's decision, upholding the recommendation of the Unfair Means Committee (UFM).