Islamabad, February 22, 2025: The Islamabad High Court Bar Association has challenged the judges’ seniority list of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the Supreme Court.
The petition, filed by IHC Bar Association President Riyasat Ali Azad under Article 184(3), argues that judges cannot be transferred between high courts without a justified public interest. It further requests the Supreme Court to rule that the president does not have unrestricted powers under Article 200(1) to transfer judges arbitrarily.
Notably, five IHC judges—Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz—have also petitioned the Supreme Court against the seniority list. Their 49-page petition, submitted under Article 184(3) through senior legal counsel Munir A. Malik and Barrister Salahuddin, challenges their placement in the seniority hierarchy.
The petition urges the Supreme Court to declare that the president lacks absolute authority under Article 200(1) to transfer judges between high courts without clear justification. It also calls for the suspension of three transferred judges and seeks to restrain Justice Sarfraz Dogar from serving as the acting chief justice.
Earlier, former IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had dismissed the seniority representation of these five judges. Their petition primarily contests the decision that placed Justice Sarfraz Dogar as the senior puisne judge.
This legal dispute marks a significant challenge to the judiciary’s administrative decisions, raising concerns over judicial independence and procedural transparency.
