Full-court reference held for SC judge Tariq Masood

ISLAMABAD: A full court reference was held in the Supreme Court (SC) here on Friday for Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, senior judge of the apex court, on his retirement.

The reference was attended by all judges of the SC, attorney general for Pakistan, Supreme Court Bar Association president and a large number of lawyers. Justice Sardar Tariq Masood will retire on March 10.

Addressing the full court reference, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa said the general election could have been derailed by a decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC), “but we sat at night before going on vacation and heard the case against the order”.

“We wanted three senior judges of the Supreme Court to sit and discuss the decision of the Lahore High Court and the case was heard but Justice Ijazul Ahsan refused to join the bench. On which, we seated the next senior judge and pronounced the verdict at 12 midnight,” the CJP said.

The CJP further said had they not decided the case late at night, elections would not have taken place on the scheduled date, given by the President of Pakistan and the Election Commission.

Faez Isa paid rich tribute to Justice Tariq Masood and said he was entitled to become the chief justice of Lahore High Court. The province experienced a loss by not making him the chief justice, but the Supreme Court benefited from him. He said being a judge, a reference was brought against him, which was proved baseless. He said Justice Tariq Masood played a very important role in the Practice Procedure Committee.

Referring to vacant seats of judges in the SC, the CJP said amendments in the rules regarding the appointment of judges were being considered. He said time had come that there should be a separate secretariat of the Judicial Commission for appointment of judges.

Speaking at the ceremony, Justice Tariq Masood said the Constitution of Pakistan lays down the rule of law and the principle of separation of powers. He said an independent judiciary was very important for implementation of basic principles of the Constitution. He said if the appointment or tenure of a judge depends on the acceptance of powerful circles, then the independence of judiciary would become meaningless.

Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan paid tributes to the outgoing judge and said Justice Tariq Masood served with great distinction for more than eight years in the Supreme Court and prior to that, for over six years in the Lahore High Court.

SCBA President Shahzad Shaukat said Justice Tariq Masood illustrious journey was testament to his brilliance and unwavering commitment, adding that throughout his tenure, he exemplified the highest standards of professionalism.