Fake degree case: Justice Jahangiri moves FCC against IHC ruling

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court Justice Tariq Jahangiri has challenged, in the Federal Constitutional Court, the Islamabad High Court ruling declaring the degree case against him maintainable.

Justice Jahangiri has filed an appeal in the FCC against the December 9 ruling of the IHC two-member bench.

In his petition, he has taken the plea that the petition filed in the IHC is not maintainable.

He has requested that the writ petition filed against him in the IHC be dismissed.

Separately, Justice Jahangiri has constituted a legal team comprising three senior lawyers to challenge the IHC proceedings. Barrister Salahuddin and Akram Sheikh will represent him in the IHC, while Uzair Bhandari will pursue the case on his behalf in the FCC.

Justice Jahangiri has also sought the recusal of IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar from the bench and requested the formation of a full court in the degree case. He has further requested that the full court should not include the IHC chief justice or other transferred judges.

In addition, Justice Jahangiri has sought time to submit his reply, requesting that the hearing be deferred until a decision is announced in a related case pending before the Sindh High Court.

It is pertinent to note that a day earlier, both objections raised by Justice Jahangiri regarding the IHC bench in the degree dispute case were rejected.

The court had directed the registrar of Karachi University to appear on December 18 with the original record of the LLB degree.

The IHC had also issued a written order in the degree dispute case, stating that Justice Jahangiri’s objection alleging bias on the part of the Chief Justice had no legal basis.

According to the written order, serious allegations have been levelled regarding the degree of a high court judge.

Given the sensitivity of the matter, a two-member bench was constituted under administrative powers.

The formation of benches is, in any case, the discretionary authority of the IHC chief justice and constituting a division bench to hear such a sensitive matter is not without precedent.