ISLAMABAD - Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, an ad-hoc judge of the Supreme Court, is retiring on February 18. He remained permanent judge of Supreme Court from 2002 to 2010. Justice Ramday is widely considered as one of the most independent judges Pakistan. He is known for his outspoken and principled stances. In year 2007, Justice Ramday presided over a 13-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which heard a petition, filed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, questioning his removal from office by Pervez Musharraf and also challenging the validity of the proceedings initiated against him for his alleged misconduct. The bench set aside the said actions of the ex-president and restored the Chief Justice through a landmark judgment of July 20, 2007. In October 2007, Justice Ramday was included in an 11-member bench of the Supreme Court to hear the petition filed by a presidential candidate, Justice (Retd) Wajih-ud-Din Ahmad challenging the eligibility of Musharraf to contest the presidential election. On November 3, 2007, when the bench of the Supreme Court was still hearing this case and was about to announce the judgment, Musharraf imposed emergency in the country. Justice Ramday along with twelve other judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan who refused to take oath under PCO was put under house arrest. He has been part of the benches which passed judgments in the important cases including National Reconciliation Ordinance, 18th Amendment, Reko Diq, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), National Insurance Company Limited, Haj corruption and many others. The legal experts told The Nation that after the Supreme Courts directions in Haj corruption case to federal and provincial governments to ensure that officers in government department are not reemployed on the contract after their retirement, it is unlikely that Justice Ramday would get extension. They were of the view that after the formation of the Judicial Commission comprising five Supreme Court judges including Chief Justice of Pakistan and a retire judge of SC, law minister, attorney general and representative of Pakistan Bar Council and the Parliamentary Committee, under the 18th Amendment the appointment of Justice Ramday as an ad hoc judge one again would not be possible.