File photo. Farooq Naeem—AFP
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Wednesday, with a majority of 4-to-1, issued a show-cause notice to Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, directing him to file a reply in his defense within two weeks.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the SJC provided Justice Naqvi with a complete record of the allegations and evidence cited in the complaints against him. Reportedly, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood; Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti; and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan supported the CJP in issuing the show-cause notice. Justice Ijazul Ahsan, meanwhile, opposed it.
Last month, the SJC had similarly issued a show-cause notice to Justice Naqvi by a majority of 3-to-2, directing him to submit a reply to the allegations against him by Nov. 10. Objecting to that notice, Justice Naqvi had argued that it failed to specify which allegations against him fell within the category of misconduct. He had also filed a petition in the Supreme arguing the manner in which the proceedings against him were initiated was inconsistent with the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Justice Naqvi’s complaint had also lamented that issuing a press release about the Oct. 27 SJC proceedings without his prior consent had subjected him to a media trial and ridiculed him in the public eye. He had claimed the complaints against him were politically motivated and were an attack on the independence of the judiciary. He had further sought the recusals of the CJP, Justice Masood and CJ Afghan, maintaining they were biased against him.
The most recent show-cause was issued after three days of deliberations on whether the complaints should be dismissed or had sufficient merit to require further investigation. The SJC took up the matter on Nov. 20 and continued deliberations on it through Wednesday night. During the process, complainants provided the forum with evidence of their allegations, maintaining he had availed assets beyond means.
The complaints against Justice Naqvi first came to light in April, when Lahore-based lawyer Mian Dawood filed a complaint alleging he had purchased and developed property valued far in excess of his assets. The PMLN Lawyers’ Forum; the Pakistan Bar Council; the Sindh Bar Council; and a private citizen also took up the matter.
The SJC is a constitutional body that probes allegations of misconduct against superior court judges.