SC orders suspension of Sessions Judge

ISLAMBAD Supreme Court has directed Chief Justice Peshawar High Court to issue suspension orders of a Session Judge, who had accepted the bail of a sitting Minister of NWFP in a non-bailable offence. The Provincial Minister for Jail Affairs Nisar Gull was allegedly involved in the abduction of Nabeela, 16, with other 16 jail wardens. The court also directed the Chief Secretary NWFP, Javed Iqbal, to initiate action against IG Prison, Tanveer-ul-Haq, and submit a compliance report in this regard till June 11. Advocate General NWFP Asadullah Khan Chamkani told the bench that he himself had moved an application for cancellation of the ministers bail. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Khali-ur-Rehman Ramday and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, had given directions for the hearing of the suo moto case. The bench also dismissed a request of Qazi Mohammad Anwar, the counsel for the minister, as he pleaded him not guilty for the crime and had taken oath on Holy Quran. Chief Justice told him that the bench should not be involved in such things. According to details, on the instructions of Provincial Minister for Jail Affairs NWFP Nisar Gull, IG Jail Affairs allegedly provided 16 persons for the kidnapping a girl, Nabila Arif, from Kohat. During the course of hearing, Nisar Gull had told the court that he was not involved in that case. Additional Session Judge Asghar Shah told the court that he had pleaded the session judge Kohat to transfer him because of the security concerns. It is the test of any judge to give a verdict, whenever, he faces pressure, Justice Khalil ur Rehman Ramday said in his remarks. The bench also reprimanded Additional Sessions Judge for not properly carrying out his assigned duties and succumbing to the political pressure. Additional Sessions Judge Syed Asghar Ali Shah requested the bench to forgive him as he had passed a wrong order. He maintained that earlier, he had approached District Sessions Judge for transfer of the case, but his request was not entertained. During the earlier proceedings, it was revealed that on instructions of the provincial minister, Inspector General (IG) Jail Affairs allegedly provided 16 persons for kidnapping a girl, Nabila, from Kohat. The same bench had taken strong exception to the so-called reconciliation, between the sitting provincial minister and the family of abducted girl. It was revealed that after six days upon Supreme Courts intervention, Nabila was produced by SP (Investigation) but the accused minister succeeded in getting bail.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt