ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday restrained the authorities from passing any adverse order against the Director General of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) who is facing disciplinary proceeding for ‘misconduct’.

DG NAB retired Major Shehzad Saleem was previously facing a controversy related to his MSc degree and the Supreme Court bench comprising former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and retired Justice Ijazul Ahsan stayed the disciplinary proceeding against him.

In July 2022, IHC restrained the Public Accounts Committee from probing serious allegations against Saleem about strip searching and filming a female suspect.

IHC Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir was hearing the petition of Saleem challenging a recent inquiry against him over alleged misconduct.

The judge restrained the inquiry officer not to pass any adverse order against Saleem, however, there was no restraining order against the ongoing inquiry.

Chairman NAB retired Lt-Gen Nazir Ahmed appointed federal secretary Nadeem Irshad Kayani as Inquiry Officer and asked him that “inquiry may be conducted on day to day basis without interruptions and report containing findings and grounds thereof shall be submitted to the authorised officer within two weeks.”

As per the charge sheet issued on Oct 16, Saleem has been charged with “misconduct”.

The charge sheet asked Saleem to submit his reply in defence in 10 days.

The petition stated that Saleem was working as NAB director general and earlier in 2016 a matter directly related to the charges levelled against him in the charge sheet issued a stay order against the proceeding initiated against him.

The petition termed it “a past and settled matter” which is “now stood reopened through impugned charge sheet dated Oct 10, 2024.”

The petition said that re-opening of past and closed transaction is legally unjustified and unwarranted being violative of Artice 13 of the constitution which expressly bars double jeopardy and being vexed twice.”

The petiton claimed that the disciplinary proceedings against the petitoner have been initiated with ulterior motives to ruin his service career.”

The petition requesteed the court to declare the charge sheet as illegal, without any lawful authority, coram non judice, malafide being violative of the settled law as well as Article 13 of the constitution.”

The petition also sought form the court to set aside the charge sheet and requested the court to restrain the respondents from passing any adverse order.”

The court adjourned further hearing in this matter till Dec 16.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024