The Balochistan High Court (BHC) judges have recommended legal action against those involved in telephone taping or video-recording of the judges and their family members, ARY News reported on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court larger bench hearing a case about allegations in six IHC judges’ letter regarding ‘interference’ by the security agencies in judicial matters.
The BHC judges in their recommendations to the supreme court over the matter suggested that the Chief Justice of Pakistan should look into the matter. “The complainant judge should submit his/her statement on oath. The judge should not be cross-examined after submitting statement on oath,” Balochistan judges recommend.
” A contempt of court proceeding should be initiated, if agencies interfere or blackmail in judicial matters of district or other judges,” Balochistan judges said.
The judges also suggest that the chief justice, session or other judges should collect the CCTV footage of the act of intervention. “Session judges should report the matter to the high court. The high court constitute a five judges’ bench and decide the matter”, Balochistan judges said.
“If a high court judge complains ‘interference’, the matter should be brought to the notice of the chief justice,” judges recommended, adding that the judges should not be targeted over their complains.
PHC Judges Recommendations
Peshawar High Court’s judges in their recommendations said that the entry of the intelligence agencies representatives should be prohibited. The judges also suggested to the supreme court that the complains should be kept secret.
“It is a golden opportunity for the judiciary to talk with other branches of the state to set a mechanism,” Peshawar judges said.
“The judges should not meet the agencies or their representatives and should stay away from social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook etc,” judges recommend.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa commented during the hearing that we reach to the end limit in recommendations to do this or that.
A six-member larger bench headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan hearing the case.
Chief Justice of Pakistan on April 1 took suo moto notice of IHC judges’ letter in which they alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.
Judges’ letter
Six IHC judges penned the letter to SJC in the aftermath of Supreme Court’s March 22 judgment on Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s dismissal case.
In the letter, the judges sought guidance from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with regard to the duty of a “judge to report and respond to actions on part of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, that seek to interfere with discharge of his/her official functions and qualify as intimidation”.