Note of dissent ‘a call of conscience’: Bhagwandas
By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque
KARACHI, Sept 29: Mr Justice Rana Bhagwandas of the Supreme Court has said that he recorded his dissent from the majority verdict on petitions against Gen Pervez Musharraf holding two offices on the call of conscience.
Talking to journalists after a programme organised by the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) on Saturday, he said that he had annulled the act regarding the holding of two offices by Gen Musharraf.
Justice Bhagwandas headed the nine-judge larger bench which gave a majority (six-three) verdict on Friday, dismissing the petitions challenging the holding of dual offices by Gen Musharraf.
He was among the three judges who held that the petitions were maintainable.
When asked if he thought that in the current state of affairs people would like to study law, he said with a smile: “This is a disputed question.”
Addressing new students and fresh law graduates of the SZABIST, he said that the functioning of the state and the government had been described in the Constitution. “Constitution is supreme and all other pillars of state work under it. Any law or any administrative decision which is against the Constitution is annulled.”
He said the legal profession was regarded as the most noble profession.
He urged the students and the graduates to uphold the solemnity of the legal profession and resist the trend of commercialisation.
SZABIST Vice-Chancellor Javed Leghari, British Council’s project director Mashhood
Rizvi and Justice (retd) Hazar Khan Khoso also addressed the gathering.
