ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Supreme Court on Thursday took suo moto notice of Senator Faisal Vawda’s fiery presser wherein he came hard on the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges over their letter alleging spy agencies of interference in judicial affairs.
A three member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Irfan Saadat and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan will take up the case tomorrow (Friday).
Addressing a press conference a day earlier, Vawda said that targeting of institutions should be stopped, adding that the judges should present evidence in court if there is any meddling in the judicial affairs by the institutions.
The senator said he would stand beside the judges if they give evidence in this regard. The former PTI leader also urged the Supreme Judicial Council to interfere in the matter.
On May 14, IHC Justice Babar Sattar has alleged the “top officials in the security establishment” of interference in the judicial affairs.
He raised the concerns in a letter written to IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, stating that he was delivered a message to back-off from the audio leak case.
“In Write Petition 2758/2023, the Court has put on notice the heads of intelligence and investigation agencies, including ISI, IB and FIA, apart from relevant Ministries of the Federal Government and statutory regulations such as PTA and PEMRA,” read the letter.
“The question before the court is whether there exists a legal regime permitting surveillance of citizens,” Justice Sattar wrote.
Justice Sattar claimed that at some point during the hearing of the case, “I was delivered messages on behalf of top officials in the security establishment asking me to “back-off” from extensive scrutiny of the existence and mode of surveillance”.
Earlier this year, six IHC judges—Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jehangiri, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Justice Saman Rifat Imtiaz—sent a letter to the chief justice, who also chairs the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
The judges requested guidance from the council on “interference” by intelligence agencies in judicial matters and the judge’s duty to report such interference or intimidation.
CJP Isa-led six-member SC bench to hear judges’ letter case on April 30
