Illegal judicial appointments

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has made a bold decision to take to clean up its own house following a ruling given on a case on staff appointments made in the Islamabad High Court. The SC ruling bases itself on the logic that the judicial set up cannot think of itself as higher than the formal processes it is required to follow. The image of the judiciary was at stake in the said case. The judgment references the ‘abuse of authority’ by court officials and ‘denial of justice’ to candidates. The fresh recruitment will now take place within 45 days. The directives will not apply to lower level staff appointments up till the BS-07 posts as long as the appointees possess the basic eligibility requirements. Many of the illegal appointees will be returned to their parent departments.

The higher judiciary has granted justice to the petitioner against its own institution. This is a lesson that must be learnt by other key institutions in the country. The SC has taken an important step in improving transparency in appointments by sharing the details of the individual cases and the types of violations that took place. The only thing missing is a directive to investigate and pin the responsibility for the illegal appointments. If illegal appointments were indeed made, someone should be held accountable for doing so. The judiciary has shown itself to be the torchbearer of justice. The SC has made a difficult but important decision that will be received unfavourably within certain judicial circles. This is what makes the decision even more important. The SC decision can only be appreciated. It is hoped that others follow the example set by the highest court in the country.

Haider Rashid

Lahore