ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday sought reply from former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on a petition seeking the retrieval of a bulletproof car from him.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC also sought reply from a counsel of Mr Chaudhry by June 16.

The petition has been filed by Advocate Riaz Hanif, seeking the implementation of the IHC order in which the former CJP had been asked to surrender the vehicle.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui in January 2014 directed the federal government to provide the bulletproof car to Mr Chaudhry soon after his retirement. In December 2016, the court directed the former chief justice to produce the car as a case property before the court.

The bulletproof car was provided to Mr Chaudhry after a number of petitions were filed with the court, seeking foolproof security for him. The petitioners contended that since the former chief justice had dealt with highly sensitive cases his life was at a stake.

In January 2014, Justice Siddiqui ordered that the “former chief justice shall be provided foolproof security along with the possession of a bulletproof car for his and his family’s use without putting an embargo of any time specification.”

The Cabinet Division in its notification had stated that the vehicle was being provided to the former CJP for three months.

In the intra-court appeal, the government maintained that there was no precedence for provision of a bulletproof car to any former CJP. And if the practice was allowed, it would not only open the door for all retired judges of the superior judiciary but would also be discriminatory under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2017