ISLAMABAD: PML-N leader Ata­ul­lah Tarar on Friday lambasted a sitting judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), levelling allegations of land grabbing and misdeclaration of assets.

The criticism came a day after a reference was filed against Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) over alleged favouritism and accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Mr Tarar demanded disciplinary proceedings against the IHC judge and urged the Supreme Court to probe the allegations against him.

He lamented that SJC, the only forum for the accountability of superior court judges, has become redundant because of the active connivance of some black sheep in the judiciary.

Due to this connivance, those involved in misconduct, corruption and misuse of official positions go scot-free, said Mr Tarar, who is also the special assistant to the prime minister on the interior.

Another reference against Justice Kayani lands in SJC

The SJC didn’t take action against the sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, despite overwhelming evidence that was brought on record against him.

Referring to the reference against Justice Kayani, Mr Tarar alleged he was a shareholder in Lake View Lanes Housing Society which had encroached upon the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Korang River land.

The reference stated that the judge had an 18 per cent share in the housing society.

The society sold millions of rupees worth of land without any approval from relevant authorities and was not registered for the purpose of tax evasion, the PML-N leader claimed.

The judge, according to Mr Tarar, also did not declare his actual income of Rs1.8 billion and instead showed Rs50 million to Rs60 million as annual income.

Mr Tarar claimed that the judge and his family members frequently travelled abroad in business class and allegedly spent $214,000 on such trips.

He alleged that Justice Kayani promoted junior judges and superseded senior ones due to favouritism and racial and ethnic basis.

He requested Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to take notice of these allegations and inquire from the judge about his assets.

Another reference

Separately, a second reference in as many days was filed against Justice Kayani on Friday, over alleged favouritism and bypassing senior judges in promotions.

The complaint filed by a ‘patriotic citizen’ with the Supreme Judicial Council alleged that Justice Kayani promoted those judges of the subordinate judiciary who were working in his law firm.

The complaint accused the judge misused his position to acquit a close relative in a case related to moral turpitude registered in Islamabad.

Thursday’s reference, which levelled similar allegations, was filed by Murtaza Qureshi, a lawyer from the Khyber Pakhtun­khwa Bar Council.

The complaints have come at a time when a special committee of the parliament was examining Article 209 of the Constitution, related to disciplinary proceedings aga­inst judges of superior courts.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2023