KARACHI: A full-court reference was held at the Sindh High Court on Wednesday to pay homage to Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Senior Puisne Judge Justice Salahuddin Panhwar on the eve of their elevation to the Supreme Court.

The courtroom No.1 was packed with members of the legal fraternity and federal and provincial law officers as well as representatives of bar associations, who lauded the services of both the judges.

Speaking at the reference, the outgoing chief justice said that they were four brothers and two sisters and he was brought up by his mother and siblings since his father had passed away when he was four-year-old.

“In the childhood, I was not allowed to go outside and make friends and admitted to a madressah, where I memorised the holy Quran,” he added.

CJ Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Panhwar paid rich tributes

Justice Siddiqui, who had become a judge of the SHC in March 2012 and took over as chief justice in July last year, also stated that he had a family business, but opted to join the legal profession and enrolled as a lawyer in 1992.

He further said that in early days of his career, he had worked with retired Justice Nizam Ahmed, senior lawyers Noorul Arfeen and Farooq H. Naek and others.

Justice Panhwar, who had joined the law profession in 1994 and was appointed as a judge of SHC in June 2012, said that the law was not just a profession but a profound duty which demanded both knowledge and empathy.

Throughout his career, he said that he sought to understand the miseries of the common man who live under the mental state of Stockholm Syndrome.

Justice Panhwar also stated that he had always stood with those who suffer under injustice, believing that the law must serve as a shield for the vulnerable rather than a weapon of the powerful and he tried to address the hardship of those living within a deeply feudal social structure, deprived of their fundamental rights.

“A judge’s voice should never be louder than the litigants, for justice is best served when all are heard, not silenced,” he added.

Both the judges also expressed gratitude to their family members, who were sitting in the courtroom, their judicial staff and lawyers for their support.

Additional Attorney General Zia Makhdoom, acting advocate general of Sindh Jawad Dero, president of Sindh High Court Bar Association Sarfaraz Metlo, Karachi Bar Association President Amir Nawaz Warraich, presidents of Hyderabad and Sukkur high court bar associations Ayaz Tunio and Qurban Ali Malano and president of Mirpurkhas district bar Pervez Talpur and others also spoke on the occasion and praised the judicial services of both the judges.

Justice Ghaffar likely to become acting CJ

After elevation of the two judges to the Supreme Court, Justice Muhammad Juanid Ghaffar has become the senior most judge of the SHC and is likely to take charge as acting chief justice of the SHC in a few days.

Before the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the senior most judge of any high court or the apex court was appointed as chief justice. However, after the amendment, the top judge of any high court or apex court will be picked from the three most senior judges.

Thereafter, besides Justice Ghaffar, Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput and Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro will also be considered for top judge of the SHC.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025