Judiciary needs introspection over its declining reputation: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday asserted that the judiciary needed introspection in the light of its “fast declining” ranking at the global level.

Taking to Twitter, Fawad wrote, “Law Minister Forough Naseem had raised an important question: if a judge could not be held accountable for the assets of their spouse and children then how was it possible to hold bureaucrats and politicians accountable.”

فروغ نسیم کا سوال اہم ہے کہ اگر جج صاحبان اپنے بیوی بچوں کے اثاثوں کے ذمہ دار نہیں تو پھر سیاستدانوں اور بیوروکریٹس کا احتساب کیسے ممکن ہے؟ عدلیہ کو عالمی رینکنگز میں اپنی تیزی سے گرتی ساکھ کا جائزہ لینے کی ضرورت ہے نئے چیف جسٹس جب حلف لیں گے تو انھیں اس چیلنج کا سامنا ہو گا

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 30, 2022

The federal minister pointed out that the new Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Umar Atta Bandial, would face this challenge when he will be sworn in.

The Supreme Court on Saturday issued a detailed judgement pertaining to the review petitions filed in Justice Qazi Faez Isa case, observing that Justice Isa could not be held liable to account for alleged tax evasion, if any, by his independent spouse, under any law of the land or under any clause in the Code of Conduct prescribed for the judges of superior courts.

“This Court could not have issued any direction to the Council to exercise its suo motu jurisdiction.”

Justice Yahya Afridi in his additional note had written that section 216 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, commanded confidentiality of the information of a tax filer, and breach thereof exposed the delinquent to penal consequences under sections 198 and 199 of the Ordinance.

He had added that Prime Minister Imran Khan, Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem, ARU Chairman Mirza Shahzad Akbar and tax officials were liable to penal consequences of violating section 216 of Income Tax Ordinance 2001.