ISLAMABAD: Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik recused from a bench that heard a constitutional petition filed by a serving judge of Lahore High Court over a show-cause notice issued to him for alleged misconduct.
The Supreme Judicial Council on April 19 issued show-cause notice to Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi in accordance with sub-para (1) of para 9 of SJC’s Procedure of Enquiry 2005.
Justice Naqvi filed a constitutional petition against the notice in the top court. However, the SC registrar returned the petition after he found four objections in the plea. But the court rejected the registrar office’s objections on May 11 and admitted the petition for a regular hearing. Last week, Justice Naqvi had moved another application requesting to fix the case on June 13, which has been accepted.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik on Monday took up the serving LHC judge’s case.
When Raza Kazim, counsel for the petitioner appeared, the bench told that one of the members Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik does not want to hear this case. Upon this, the counsel submitted that he has filed a fresh application for referring the matter to the larger bench. Justice Hani however asked him that after the recusal of one judge, they could not pass such order.
Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik has remained as LHC judge for six years and he was elevated to the apex court in November 2015.
The sources told that Justice Naqvi has voluntarily stopped hearing cases for sometime now in the wake of the show-cause notice.