ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: Mr Justice Javed Iqbal, who heads an 11-member bench of the Supreme Court hearing petitions challenging the acceptance of Gen Pervez Musharraf’s nomination papers for the presidential election, said on Friday that the decision on the petitions would be in accordance with the Constitution. He also said that the court might announce its verdict on Thursday.

He was responding to questions after addressing the inaugural session of a two-day workshop on “Delay Reduction Techniques-cum-Training: the Trainers for District and Sessions Judges” jointly organised by the Federal Judicial Academy and the Access to Justice Programme.

He said: “The judiciary was independent, is independent and will remain independent. We as judges are answerable only to Allah Almighty; and after that to our conscience, rather than to a particular group of people.”

Justice Iqbal said that decisions were made in accordance with the law and the Constitution.

About the oath taken by judges under the Provisional Constitutional Order, he said that a number of decisions, including in the Steel Mills (2006) and Mian Shahbaz Sharif (2004) cases and bail cancellation of Environment Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, were made by the judges who had taken the oath under the PCO.

Defending the views of Mr Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday that judges were not ashamed of having taken the oath under PCO, Justice Iqbal said: “If oath was not taken under PCO, the courts were ought to be closed.”

He criticised certain elements who were making comments on unannounced judgments of the Supreme Court. “Such people don’t know even the basics of the judiciary.”—APP