SC adjourns Ombudsperson’s case till second week of June

ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Work Place on Tuesday requested the Supreme Court to take up suo moto along with her petition against the LHC judge.

Federal Ombudsperson Justice (R) Yasmeen Abbasi appeared in person before a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim that heard the suo moto notice.

The court ordered that status quo regarding proceedings in the high court against Justice Yasim be maintained and the Ombudsperson order against the LHC judge will remain suspended.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali on May 11 had taken suo moto on issuance of arrest warrants by the federal ombudsperson to the Lahore High Court senior puisne judge a day after she tendered apology in the chamber of single judge high court.

Justice (R) Abbasi pleaded that before further proceeding on suo moto case, her petition should also be clubbed with the suo moto. Moreover, she sought some time for engaging a counsel to plead her case. 

The ombudsperson informed the court she had submitted a petition against the LHC judge as he was illegally interfering with her order. She argued that the high court in terms of section 18 of the Federal Ombudsman Reforms Act 2013 has no jurisdiction to entertain a petition against an order passed by the Ombudsman.

She contended that under Article 5 of Constitution everyone is bound to follow the law, adding the section 18 of the Act exclude the jurisdiction of high courts and the Supreme Court as the appeal against the Ombudsman lies only before the President of Pakistan.

Pakistan Bar Council, former vice-chairman Azam Nazeer Tarar, and many lawyers from Lahore wanted to implead parties saying the ombudsperson had unnecessarily dragged them in this case. 

Justice Ameer Hani Muslim however, said that they would hear them but will not accept them as party. He said the matter will be decided in accordance with the law.

Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf appeared on the court notice. 

Meanwhile, the court directed its office to fix suo moto along with her petition and adjourned the hearing till second week of June.