PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Friday removed four judicial officers from service under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Servant (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2011.

They include additional district and sessions judges Aurangzeb Khan, Naeem Iqbal and Shakeelur Rehman and woman civil judge Saima Irfan, said a news release issued here.

Last month, the high court had suspended five judicial officers, including four sacked judges and civil judge Johar Ijaz Ali Shah, for three months.

During a personal hearing, judge Johar Ijaz had requested the court to allow him to resign from service unconditionally. He later put up resignation on Aug 15.

The release said the competent authority dropped further departmental proceeding against Johar Ijaz after accepting his resignation.

It said the disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the suspended judicial officer under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Servant (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2011, while action against him was taken under Section 3(1)(b)(iii) of that law.

The release, however, didn’t mention charges against the sacked judges.

Later in the day, the sacked judges announced that they would address a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club today (Saturday).

The high court had issued show cause notices to judicial officers without holding inquiry.

It later announced that after receiving their replies and holding personal hearing, it had decided that retaining those officers in judicial service was highly uncalled-for and undesirable, and therefore, they’re handed down major penalty of removal from service.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2018