Islamabad, April 28, 2025: A fresh controversy has surfaced at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after a division bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, suspended an interim order issued by Justice Babar Sattar.
According to reports, despite administrative directions from Justice Sattar to schedule the case before his bench, it was not listed. Nevertheless, Justice Sattar proceeded with the hearing and issued an eight-page written order on Monday.
In his ruling, Justice Babar Sattar argued that the March 26 order for fixing the case had never been challenged and therefore could not have been suspended. He also pointed out that both the March 12 and March 26 orders were interim, with the final judgment in the case still pending.
Citing multiple Supreme Court rulings, Justice Sattar emphasized that a Chief Justice does not hold administrative authority over pending cases. The court questioned why action should not be taken against the Deputy Registrar (Judicial) for failing to comply with directions to list the case.
Justice Sattar summoned both the Deputy Registrar (Judicial) and Deputy Registrar (IT) to personally appear at the next hearing. He specifically sought an explanation regarding the removal of judicial orders from the court’s official website.
The written order detailed that the Deputy Registrar (Judicial) had submitted a note stating that the division bench had suspended the order, but still failed to include the case in the cause list, an act Justice Sattar termed as a violation of court instructions.
Justice Sattar further criticized the lack of proper assistance provided to the division bench regarding the interim nature of his orders. Referring to Section 3 of the Law Reforms Ordinance, 1972, he underscored that only final decisions of a single bench are appealable through an intra-court appeal — suggesting that interim orders such as his could not be challenged at this stage.
Justice Sattar ordered the case to be scheduled for May 7, directing that it must be included in the cause list. He made it clear that the hearing would proceed even if the case was not formally listed. He also ordered that copies of Monday’s order be circulated among all relevant parties and added to the official record for the division bench’s knowledge.
Additionally, Justice Sattar directed the Deputy Registrar (Judicial) to explain at the next hearing why disciplinary action should not be initiated for non-compliance with court orders. He also instructed the Registrar’s Office to prepare a new case file if the division bench does not transfer the original record back.
The dispute stems from Justice Sattar’s earlier contempt of court proceedings against the Director General of Immigration & Passport and a NAB Director. The division bench, however, had suspended those orders, leading to the current administrative and judicial standoff within the court.
