Judges also have right to defend themselves, Justice Siddiqui to CJP

ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar not to insult the fellow judges of other courts and pass derogatory remarks against them.

“The CJP should respect the judges or we also have the right to defend our institution and that will be damaging,” he said while hearing an encroachment case. “The CJP has the right to set aside our judgments under the law but he has no right to insult us. You don't like someone's face and start insulting him in an open court, this is no way,” he said.

He passed these remarks when a lawyer, Raja Inam Ameen Minhas, informed the court that the Supreme Court (SC) had stayed his order barring the private schools from receiving monthly fee during the summer vacations.

The lawyer said the SC had not only issued a stay order but also referred the case back to the chief justice of the same court [Islamabad High Court]. It is to mention here that the CJP, while hearing the said case, passed certain remarks against the judge and directed the IHC Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi to send the case to some “law-knowing judge”.

At this, Justice Siddiqui remarked that someone should convey to the CJP his appeal that the judges of other superior court were equally respectable. He said the SC under the law could set aside judgments but this was no way to insult the judges.