MUZAFFARABAD: An ad-hoc judge in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court was sworn in on Monday, amid a strike by the AJK Bar Council.

Advocate Masood A. Shaikh was administered oath by AJK Supreme Court Chief Justice Muhammad Azam Khan in Mirpur circuit building, in the presence of sitting and former judges as well as some representatives of legal fraternity, including the presidents of supreme and high court bar associations.

However, the AJK Bar Council vice chairman and the presidents of district and tehsil bar associations stayed away from the ceremony.

Besides, no lawyer appeared in any court on Monday.

The legal fraternity, it may be mentioned here, had been expressing serious reservations for quite some time over the induction of any ad-hoc judge in the apex court, particularly in the wake of a petition in the High Court against the alleged controversial appointments of two Shariat Court judges.

According to Khawaja Manzoor Qadir, AJK Bar Council vice chairman, there was no need of any ad hoc judge in the apex court and if appointment of an ad hoc judge was inevitable, any of the six judges of the AJK High Court could have been elevated to fulfill the purpose for as much time as required.

“Even though the legal fraternity has expressed serious concerns, verbally and in writing, the government had inducted an ad hoc judge in yet another step to undermine the prestige of superior judiciary,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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