SHC orders Govt to finalise Accountability Court judges within week

KARACHI             -               The Sindh High Court has directed the government to finalise names of judges for ap­pointment at Karachi’s Ac­countability Courts within one week, on Tuesday.

A bench of the Sindh high court headed by Chief Jus­tice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh heard the case regarding vacant posts of judges in Karachi’s Accountability Courts.

The chief justice during the case proceedings asked the Federal Secretary of Law, who was summoned in the hearing, if federal secretary law could ap­point a judge? “How could you appoint a judge,” the bench asked the secretary.

“Under which law you have given recommenda­tions and what is your in­terest in these matters,” the chief justice asked the law secretary.

“You are a former judge but still unaware of the law,” the chief justice ex­claimed.

“Here 350 references are in pending in accountabil­ity court,” the chief justice further said. “If you won’t appoint judges, we will start giving bails to the ac­cused,” the chief justice warned the top official of the federal law depart­ment.

The Chief Justice direct­ed the secretary to finalize names of judges’ for ap­pointment within a week and inform the court. The Sindh high court (SHC) ad­journed further hearing of the case for one week.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, recently heard a suo moto case pertaining to delay in the proceedings of accountability courts.

During the course of pro­ceedings, the court (SHC) had directed the govern­ment to fill the vacant post in Islamabad’s Account­ability Court in one week while two vacant posts in Karachi’s Accountability Courts within two weeks.

The court also directed the government to start the consultation process about two posts of Peshawar’s Ac­countability Courts which would be vacant in June.

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