PHC reinstates 9 judges

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has reinstated nine judicial officers in light of its Administrative Committee recommendations and the decision by the Subordinate Judiciary Service Tribunal.

However, the reinstated judges will not be entitled to receive any previous financial benefits or privileges.

The reinstated judges include four Additional District and Sessions Judges, four Senior Civil Judges, and one Civil Judge/Judicial Magistrate.

The reinstated judges are Additional District and Sessions Judge Manzoor Qadir, Additional District and Sessions Judge Ms. Riffat Amir, Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Amjad Raheem, Additional District and Sessions Judge Qaiser Raheem, Senior Civil Judge Safeer Qaiser Malik, Senior Civil Judge Adil Akbar, Senior Civil Judge Rashid Rauf Swati, Senior Civil Judge Shah Hussain, and Civil Judge/Judicial Magistrate Tasawwur Hussain. The PHC has filed a CPLA — Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal — in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Subordinate Judiciary Service Tribunal, which is still pending.

Therefore, the financial and other benefits of these judges have been made conditional to the final verdict of the Supreme Court and the outcomes of related inquiries.

It is worth mentioning here that these judicial officers were dismissed from service in 2017 on charges including abuse of authority.

They had filed appeals against their dismissal with the Subordinate Judiciary Service Tribunal, which accepted their appeals and ordered their reinstatement on July 27, 2024.

However, the PHC challenged the tribunal’s verdict in the Supreme Court, where the matter is still under review.

In response to show-cause notices, several judges had denied the allegations leveled against them.