ISLAMABAD: Feeling piqued by alleged ‘derogatory’ remarks of Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday said the CJP had the power to set aside, modify or uphold the verdicts of other judges, but he did not have the right to humiliate them.

“All judges are equally respectable,” Justice Siddi­qui said, adding that if the judges who had allegedly been ridiculed by the CJP reciprocated it would be damaging to the judicial institution.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge made the comments during the hearing of a land encroachment case during which Advocate Raja Inam Ameen Mihas argued that Justice Siddiqui went beyond what the petitioner had requested for.

The judge was earlier told that the Supreme Court had issued a stay order in an identical situation and directed the IHC chief justice to fix that case before any judge except Justice Siddiqui.

On Thursday, a lawyer petitioned the SC against a ‘suo motu’ order issued by Justice Siddiqui in the summer vacation school fee case arguing that the suo motu powers were not vested in the high courts. He argued the judge restrained all private schools from collecting fee whereas the petitioner had sought relief against a particular school.

In response to the petition, CJP Nisar remarked that the “order shows the mindset of the author judge”, and remanded the case back to the IHC.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2018