EOBI fee issue: SC seeks replies from two IHC judges, lawyers

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought replies from two serving Islamabad High Court judges and lawyers charging fee for Employees Old Age Benefit (EOBI) without the approval of the federal law ministry.

A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, heard the case at the Supreme Court Lahore registry. Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were the other members of the bench.

“Where is Babar Sattar?” the CJ asked as the proceedings started.

A young lawyer appeared and said that he was appearing on behalf of Babar Sattar and said Sattar was out of country.

The CJ expressed dismay over non-appearance of Babar Sattar. The lawyer said that the reply, however, had been submitted on his behalf.

Barrister Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan appeared and said that he was engaged in three cases. The CJ asked him whether the reply had been submitted.

He said the reply had not been submitted so far.

The CJ directed him to submit a reply.

During the proceedings, the CJ asked whether the two judges were asked for their replies and sought replies from both judges including IHC Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani through the high court registrar. Previously, the court issued notices to two serving Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges for charging fee for Employees Old Age Benefit (EOBI) without the authorisation of the federal law ministry.

In another case about terminally ill prisoners, the SC directed all the provincial jail authorities for medical examination of the ill prisoners through their boards, and release them if they were terminally ill.

The representatives of all four provinces submitted their reports before the Supreme Court. According to Punjab, there had been 30 terminally ill prisoners; 18 prisoners in Sindh while 15 in Balochistan while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa submitted a written report.

“What is benefit of keeping in jails terminally ill prisoners?” the CJ asked the law officers.

An officer, representing Punjab Jails Department, said that there had been a board and a mechanism under which they determine and then release the terminally ill prisoners.