MUZAFFARABAD, April 10: The Chief Justice of the AJK High Court/ Shariat Court, Syed Manzoor Hussain Gillani, has served notices on two government officials asking them to show cause as to why the contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for “undermining the authority of the judiciary and lowering the prestige of a judicial officer.”

According to high court sources, the notices were issued on Tuesday after the chief justice was informed by the district Qazi Mirpur that the Local Government Board Secretary Khwaja Ghulam Rasool had asked him in a letter to return the vehicle (AJKD-3920) in his use to the board in accordance with the S&GAD notification of March 26 issued by under secretary Ejaz Ahmed Khan.

The vehicle, according to court sources, was allotted to the district Qazi, along with other judicial officers, within his entitlement through a government notification of April 22, 2000.

In his order, the CJ said that the district Qazi was a BPS-19 officer in the judiciary of Azad Kashmir and entitled to a government vehicle like that of other officers.

The notification of the S&GAD and the letter of the secretary of LGB, prima facie, amounted to undermining the authority of the judiciary and lowering down the prestige of the judicial officer, who at the same time was also a religious scholar, the chief justice said.

He said the purported action called to proceed for the contempt against the two officers, and before charging them, it was deemed proper that notices be served upon them to show cause as to why they should not be proceeded against for contempt of court.

The CJ also suspended the notification of the S&GAD and the letter of the LGB and directed the respondents to clear their position on or before April 21.