KARACHI: As the court staff opened the door, 13 judges, including the outgoing chief justice and the senior puisne judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC), entered the courtroom, which was packed with members of the legal fraternity who were there to attend a full court reference held on Thursday.

The legal fraternity gathered at the SHC to pay tribute to outgoing Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi on the eve of his elevation to the Supreme Court.

The outgoing Chief Justice Abbasi stated that he had disposed of around 20,000 cases, including criminal and civil matters, during his 15 years of service as an SHC judge.

He further stated that nearly 2,000 judgments he authored were reported, with most being upheld by the apex court.

Senior advocate Abid Zuberi says it is bar associations responsibility to take up the issue of alleged interference in judicial affairs

He also mentioned steps taken during his tenure to curb corruption and reduce the burden as the CJ of the SHC, including the introduction of trials via video link for under-trial prisoners which reduced time and expenditure.

He said that the implementation of a one-window operation for the provision of certified documents had helped curb corruption.

“I have served as the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court for seven months and received full support from my fellow judges,” Justice Abbasi stated.

Expressing gratitude to his family members, who were sitting in the courtroom, for their unconditional support, Justice Abbasi mentioned his wife’s statement on a lighter note, saying that she used to say that he spent more time in court than with her.

Reflecting on his career as an SHC judge, the outgoing Chief Justice further said that he had served in the SHC since September 2009 and rendered judgments in good faith and with all due honesty.

The senior puisne judge and next chief justice of the SHC, Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui and representatives of the legal community paid homage to Justice Abbasi.

Justice Siddiqui on behalf of his fellow judges expressed gratitude to Justice Abbasi for his exemplary judicial career and highlighted his academic achievements. He also mentioned that Justice Abbasi was being elevated to the Supreme Court in June, which is also his birth month.

Advocate Abid Zuberi also spoke on the occasion, stating that Justice Abbasi and he started their professional career at the same time. Referring to the letter from six Islamabad High Court judges regarding interference in judicial affairs by the country’s intelligence apparatus, Advocate Zuberi said: “It is the responsibility of the bar associations to raise this issue, and if they do not stand up for it now, the future of our children will be jeopardised. To all the judges present, it is your responsibility to defend and protect the Constitution of Pakistan.”

Responding to concerns raised by senior lawyer Zuberi during his address, Justice Abbasi said: “Neither fear nor greed enters my mind; my parents have made me indifferent to these. I have tried my best to live up to the expectations of my parents. Nothing can influence me, neither has anything done so thus far nor will it in the future.”

Justice Abbasi recalled his father’s words, “even the devil should receive justice in your court”, emphasising the importance of justice.

Advocate General of Sindh Hasan Akbar, Prosecutor General of Sindh Dr Faiz Shah, Additional Prosecutor of Sindh Zia ul Haq Makhdoom, vice chairman of the Sindh Bar Council Kashif Hanif, president of Sindh High Court Bar Association Rehan Aziz Malik, president of Karachi Bar Association Aamir Nawaz Waraich and representatives of Hyderabad High Court Bar Association Ayaz Hussain Tunio, Sukkur High Court Bar Association, and Malir Bar Association also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2024