ISLAMABAD: As a full court of the Supreme Court will resume on Monday the hearing of petitions that challenge the presidential reference against Judge Qazi Faez Isa, one of the lawyers has requested permission from the court to approve his absence for a week.
Consequently, the President of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP), Asif Saeed Khosa, approved his license from October 14 to 21, but on condition that the general deferral does not apply to cases settled before the largest bank or the complete court.
Rasheed A. Razvi, senior lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) representing the Sindh Superior Court Bar Association (SHCBA), filed an application on September 28 in which he applied a general postponement from October 14 to 21)
In return, the SC office informed the lawyer that his request for the general closing had been approved by the CJP but on the condition that his license would not apply during the period in which the cases before the largest bank was taken .
Apex court approved the license of SHCBA lawyer Rasheed Razvi
Directed by Judge Umar Ata Bandial, the entire court formed by 10 SC judges will resume hearing a series of petitions beginning October 14.
At the last hearing on October 8, attorney Razvi had informed the entire court about his inability to appear in the process as he had to go abroad due to some concern. At this time, the court had allowed him to proceed abroad, although the hearing will take place on Monday as usual.
Judge Bandial had also explained to lawyers representing several petitioners that the court intended to decide the petitions as soon as possible due to the lack of availability of one of the bank members after two weeks.
In addition, Judge Bandial had stated that it was not easy to involve 10 judges at the expense of the litigants by compromising the list of the court that was negatively affecting.
Earlier on September 23, principal attorney Muneer A. Malik, who represented the principal petitioner, Judge Qazi Faez Isa, had also submitted two requests for suspension due to his medical condition.
The first request was filed on September 19 by the same lawyer with a request to approve his general postponement from September 23 to October 4. But the SC office informed him that, although his request had been allowed by the CJP, the postponement will not apply on the dates when the requests that defy the referral will be examined by the court of 10 judges on September 24.
Consequently, a second request was presented in which it was emphasized that lawyer Malik had suffered a heart attack at dawn on September 18 and that two stents had to be implanted in his arteries with doctors who suggested that the lawyer take at least Two weeks of complete rest.
Meanwhile, the federal government, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the secretary of the SJC and the attorney general Anwar Mansoor have already submitted several responses to the SC to refute the accusations made in Judge Isa's main petition.
In response, lawyer Malik had to submit replies to all government responses before Saturday. But the lawyer is expected to present these replies on Monday before the start of the hearing of the petitions.
But Judge Isa has already submitted a set of additional documents to the SC, mainly a series of news clippings from statements by different politicians such as former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed, stories about submitting references against him, statement of Joint press of the Ministry and Asset Recovery Unit law, SJC press release, etc.
The higher court is busy with a series of petitions filed by Justice Isa, SCBA, Pakistan Bar Council, Abid Hasan Minto, president of the Superior Court Lawyers Association Abdul Basit, president of the Quetta Mohammad Asif Bar Association Reki, SHCBA, Baluchistan Bar Council, Sindh Bar Council and others.
Posted on Dawn, October 13, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1510555/sc-to-resume-hearing-in-justice-isa-reference-tomorrow