MUZAFFARABAD: Amid strained relations between the two superior courts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the region’s Chief Justice, Raja Saeed Akram, has convened meetings of two key judicial bodies to deliberate on contentious issues concerning the superior and subordinate judiciary.

According to a press release issued by the apex court on Thursday, the meeting of the State Judicial Policy-making Committee was convened on Wednesday (Jan 15), followed by the meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Thursday (Jan 16).

The meetings would be presided over by Chief Justice Akram as chairman of both the bodies.

The press release informed that the policy-making committee’s agenda included the implementation of apex court judgments, issues related to ex-cadre judges and district judges, the role of the administrative judge in the High Court, the establishment of consumer courts, the dress code for superior courts, and amendments to the Service Tribunal Act.

The SJC’s agenda focused on a letter from AJK High Court Chief Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja, the disposal of rules of procedure related to an inquiry, and a matter concerning a former chief justice of the High Court.

Notably, these meetings were taking place amidst rising tensions between the two top courts in AJK, a situation well-known within the legal fraternity.

When contacted byDawn, a senior official of the apex court expressed ignorance about the letter from Chief Justice Raja. However, sources within the legal community revealed that it was addressed to Chief Justice Akram in the wake of the hearing of a Petition for Leave to Appeal (PLA) by the latter.

The PLA was filed against the dismissal of a writ petitionat the preliminarystageby a division bench of the High Court, led by Chief Justice Raja. The petition was lodged by AJK Bar Council through senior lawyer Raja Amjad Ali Khan, to call into question a controversial presidential ordinance on public assemblies, which the government later withdrew on its own following public outcry.

In the PLA, counsel Khan had detailed the High Court’s dismissal of the petition in limine, alleging it was done “without hearing arguments or considering even a single written ground.”

Reportedly, Chief Justice Akram, who heard arguments on the PLA via video link from Mirpur, had remarked that the PLA seemed “more like a reference” than an appeal. Sources claimed that Chief Justice Raja had written the letterto request an SJC meeting to address concerns linked with this case.

Earlier, the apex court had declared the Judicial Service Tribunal, constituted by the High Court, as unconstitutional and illegal, granting a status quo in an appeal by judicial officers.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2025