May 3, 2005	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, May 2: Chief of Al-Jihad Trust Habib Wahabul Khairi on Monday filed a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court against Law Secretary Justice (retd) Mansoor Ahmed for allegedly criticizing the role of a senior judicial officer in filling vacant posts of judges in high courts.

Filed under Article 204 (contempt of the court) of the Constitution, the petitioner has requested the apex court to immediately summon the law secretary and penalize him for committing contempt of the court.

The law secretary is reported to have told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), during a recent meeting, that a tussle at the top level of the judiciary was responsible for the delay in filling vacancies in the high courts.

Through his statement, the petitioner contended, the law secretary had tried to drag into controversy the senior judicial officer of the country and, therefore, had tried to erode public confidence in the judiciary.

Mr Khairi has also named chairman of the Executive Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Hamid Khan, president Lahore High Court Bar Association Justice (retd) Fakharun Nisa Khokhar and former vice-chairman of the PBC Kazi Anwar as respondents for criticizing Supreme Court’s decision of hearing petitions regarding enhancement of the retirement age of the superior court judges.

Mr Khairi has also challenged the appointment of the law secretary as being violative of the provisions of the constitution, which restricts the judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts from holding any office of profit in the service of Pakistan before the expiry of two years after retirement. He stated that a retired judge could hold no executive or administrative position within two years of his retirement.