ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The proposal to extend the retiring age of supreme court and high court judges by three years, has been turned down by the “competent authority”, forcing the highest judicial authority of the country to retire in the first week of January next year.

Official sources told Dawn that the federal law ministry, on the insistence of a judicial authority prepared a summery for the president to amend the relevant provisions of the Constitution under which a judge of the high court retires on attaining the age of superannuation and the supreme court judge at 65.

Under the proposal the age of superannuation for the SC judge would have been 68 and 65 for the high court judge.

After sensing that there was no chance for the extension of tenure as chief justice, Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan announced on Saturday that he would be laying the robes in the first week of January.

“I am almost concluding my innings and Insha Allah shall be retiring early January 2002,” chief justice Irshad Hasan Khan said on Saturday in Peshawar where he had gone to attend the stone-laying ceremony of supreme court Peshawar registry.

Sources say that there was also a suggestion, though not in writing, that the chief justice’s post shall be tenure post, irrespective of what was his age may be.

The proposal, however, was shot down, fearing that it would offend the whole judicial institution and specially those who have “legitimate expectancy” to become the chief justice under the existing system.

Sources said that Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, president’s chief advisor was opposed to the idea of tenure post as previous example of justice Yaqoob, was not pleasant one and the whole judicial institution was opposed to that.

Justice Chaudhry Mohammad Arif will retire in December this year, followed by chief justice Irshad Hasan Khan on January 6, 2002.

Justice Bashir Jehangiri, after remaining chief justice for less than one month, would also retire, clearing the ground for Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmad to become chief justice of Pakistan.