Fake degree scandal: IHC disqualifies Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, orders removal

ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented judicial verdict, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday disqualified Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri from holding the office of a judge and ordered his removal. His degree has been declared fake, and he has also been declared ineligible to practice law on the basis of that degree. The verdict, announced today by a division bench led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, was delivered after being reserved earlier in the day.

The court announced the reserved verdict, accepting the petition filed by the petitioner, Mian Dawood. The ruling explicitly declares Justice Jahangiri unfit for the judicial office.

The order to remove Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri marks a rare and severe constitutional action against a sitting judge. The legal proceedings were initiated following a petition challenging his suitability to serve on the bench.

“No one is above the constitution and the law,” said the petitioner, Advocate Mian Dawood. He further stated that the dignity of the judiciary must always remain paramount, adding that Pakistani law is equal for everyone, common citizen and powerful alike.

The court staff was present as the verdict was delivered, finalising the historic decision. The detailed written order outlining the specific legal grounds for the disqualification is awaited.

This decision by the Islamabad High Court is expected to have significant reverberations within Pakistan’s judicial landscape, setting a major precedent for judicial accountability. There has been no immediate reaction from Justice Jahangiri regarding the verdict.

On December 17, Jahangiri had moved to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) to appeal a ruling by a two-member IHC bench from December 9, which had declared the degree verification case against him maintainable. In his petition, he contends that the original petition filed in the IHC is not legally maintainable and has requested its dismissal.

Simultaneously, Justice Jahangiri has assembled a legal team comprising senior lawyers Barrister Salahuddin and Akram Sheikh to represent him in the IHC, while Uzair Bhandari will handle his case in the FCC. He has also formally sought the recusal of IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar from the bench and has requested the formation of a full court to hear the case, excluding the Chief Justice and other transferred judges. Additionally, he has asked for an adjournment until a related case pending before the Sindh High Court is decided.

This legal move comes a day after the IHC rejected both of Jahangiri’s objections regarding the bench’s composition in the degree dispute. The court has already directed the registrar of Karachi University to produce the original LLB degree record and, in a written order, stated that allegations of bias against the Chief Justice were unfounded. The IHC emphasized that forming a division bench to hear such a sensitive matter falls within the Chief Justice’s discretionary powers and is procedurally sound.