SJC secretary denies allegations levelled by Justice Isa.

Byline: Nasir Iqbal

ISLAMABAD -- Supreme Judicial Council's (SJC) secretary Arbab Muhammad Arif denied on Saturday the allegations levelled at him by Justice Qazi Faez Isa in a rejoinder submitted to the Supreme Court.

In the one-page reply submitted to the full court seized with a set of petitions challenging the filing of a reference against Justice Isa, the SJC secretary claimed the allegations mentioned in the judge's rejoinder were against the record and that he had always performed his duties with rectitude, integrity and honesty.

Mr Arif said he had always acted in good faith in the performance of his duties and had held, and would continue to hold, all the superior court judges in high esteem.

In his rejoinder, Justice Isa had accused the SJC secretary of fixing the presidential reference before the council by demonstrating unusual haste when the body did not direct an out-of-turn hearing.

By employing dubious tactics, the secretary became a complainant, the petitioner judge had alleged

According to the rejoinder, the secretary fixed the reference when the petitioner judge was on a sanctioned leave to assist his wife in taking care of her father, who had been diagnosed with cancer.

It contended that the situation had deprived the petitioner of his fundamental right to a fair trial and the due process, especially when he could not seek legal advice and legal representation.

Likewise, Mr Arif provided the petitioner judge's response to the attorney general, the prosecutor in the reference, even when the council had not asked him to do so.

Of his own accord, the SJC secretary obtained a copy of the rejoinder from the petitioner's private secretary and provided it to the attorney general on the very day it was filed, that is June 28, alleged the judge, adding the secretary kept the council in the dark about the haste in providing the attorney general a copy of the response.

Similarly, the secretary assumed the powers of the council by entertaining the 'illegally filed' rejoinder from the attorney general in the absence of any directive from the SJC and 'in violation of' the Supreme Judicial Council Procedure of Enquiry, 2005.

The SJC secretary was provided three letters of the petitioner judge that he wrote to President Arif Alvi, in which a complaint was registered about Justice Isa's 'media trial, character assassination, humiliation, defamation and the blatant violation of his fundamental rights', the rejoinder said. But the...