Most senior judge not made part of IHC bench

ISLAMABAD: Senior most judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has not been made part of the only division bench constituted for hearing the cases for the next week-- from July 16 to 20, 2018.

The only division of the IHC for the next week comprises two junior most judges of the IHC ie Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. Two judges of the IHC senior to Justice Kayani and Justice Aurangzeb are on leave.

It is a practice that the puisne judge (senior most judge of a high court after the chief justice) is made the part of a division bench. However, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, the senior most judge of the IHC, has not been made part of the only division bench constituted for the next week.

According to the roster of sitting wef 16.07.2018 to 20.07.2018 of the IHC issued on Thursday with the approval of Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi, the Chief Justice of IHC, three single benches comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb have also been constituted. Justice Kasi is also on leave. Next week is important as IHC will be hearing the appeal of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif against the June 6 verdict of the accountability court. The appeal against a verdict of an accountability court is to be heard by a division bench.