PHC suspends 14 judicial officers

Disciplinary law violation

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday suspended 14 judicial officers and served them show-cause notices to explain their position for violating the disciplinary law.

"In pursuance of decision of Administrative Committee 14 judicial officers are being proceeded against under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules 2011. Their services have been placed under suspension and they have been served with show-cause notices," an official communiqué issued by the PHC registrar stated.

Out of the 14 judicial officers, one is district and sessions judge, seven are additional district and sessions judges, four are senior civil judges and two are civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates.

The suspended judges include District and Sessions Judge, Sardar Muhammad Irshad, who had earlier been made an OSD at PHC. The seven Additional District and Sessions Judges who were suspended are Malik Amjad Raheem, Amjad Makhdoom, Mohsin Ali Turk, Qaiser Rahim, Manzoor Qadir and Riffat Aamir. They too were made OSD in principal seat of PHC. Also suspended is Abdul Hakim Hashmi, presently serving in Shabqadar tehsil in Charsadda.

The four suspended senior civil judges are Safir Qaiser Malik, presently posted in Dir Lower, Adil Akbar Khan, Rashid Rauf and Shah Hussain, all three already made OSD in principal seat of PHC.

The two suspended civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates are Johar Ijaz Ali Shah, presently posted as acting senior civil judge in Torghar district, and Tasawar Hussain posted as OSD in PHC.

The Administrative Committee is headed by PHC Chief Justice Yahya Afridi. Three senior most judges including Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Roohul Amin Khan are its members.

Legal experts were of the view that show-cause notices were being served just to seek reply from the judicial officers to defend the charges. Earlier, the former PHC chief justice Ijaz Afzal Khan, who is now a judge of the Supreme Court, had taken action against corruption and misuse of authority in the district judiciary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He had removed district and sessions judges, additional district and sessions judges and employees of the district judiciary on the charges of corruption and misuse of powers. On October 29, 2010, the PHC ordered compulsory retirement of five judicial officers including three district and sessions judges and two additional district and sessions judges on charges of corruption. The five judges later challenged their forced retirement in the court.

On the other hand, to eliminate corruption from the subordinate judiciary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PHC has established the Eradication of Corruption Cell. "To eliminate the evil of corruption from the subordinate judiciary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the litigants who faced the problems of corruption during their litigation from some officers and officials of the subordinate judiciary are informed to send their complaints in writing to this cell through post/registry and email," the PHC stated in the message to the litigants and the general public.

Sharing the email address (phc-ecc@peshawarhighcourt.gov.pk), the PHC said that it was essential for the complainants to provide in writing the full name of the concerned officer/official, status/post and nature of corruption.