ISLAMABAD: The outgoing president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA), Riasat Ali Azad, has challenged the recent transfer of judges from other high courts to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

In a constitutional petition filed in the Supreme Court on Friday, Mr Azad also challenged the revised seniority list after the transfers.

Earlier this week, five sitting judges of the IHC had petitioned the top court against recent changes to the high court following the transfer of new judges from different provinces.

The friction among IHC judges started earlier this month when Lahore High Court’s Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, Sindh High Court’s Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Balochistan High Court’s Justice Muhammad Asif were transferred to the IHC.

Petition by outgoing IHCBA president challenges revised seniority list; says move aimed at undermining court’s autonomy

The legal fraternity protested the move and accused the government of undermining the court’s independence.

What further irked the sitting high court judges and lawyers was the controversial revision of the court’s seniority list, which saw Justice Dogar become the senior puisne judge in place of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

Justice Dogar was subsequently appointed the acting chief justice after the incumbent, Justice Aamer Farooq, was elevated to the Supreme Court.

A flurry of changes also took place in the IHC’s administrative system, with sitting judges replaced by new judges.

In the court’s Administrative Committee, justices Kayani and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb were replaced by justices Dogar and Soomro.

The Departmental Promotion Committee was also reorganised to replace justices Kayani and Aurangzeb with justices Dogar and Azam Khan, who was appointed to the IHC in January.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2025