Petition about governor’s oath-taking ceremony dismissed

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday dismissed writ petition challenging holding of oath-taking ceremony of Khyber Pakhtun-khwa governor at the Governor’s House instead of high court.

A division bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Muhammad Ayub Khan dismissed the petition with the observation that governor’s oath-taking is a political government activity in which political parties leaders and government officials participating and the high court is not for such like activities.

During the hearing, the lawyer Shabbir Hussain Gigyani, who had filed the petition, submitted that the incoming, as well as future governors, may be stopped from taking oath at the Governor’s House before entering their office.

He pointed out that just like a chief justice of the high court visits the Governor’s House to take the oath of his office from the governor, in the same manner, while taking the oath of his office, which is administered by the chief justice, the governor-designate should visit the high court.