By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court judge facing complaints of misconduct resigned on Wednesday, saying he could not continue to serve due to circumstances that were “a matter of public knowledge”.
Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi submitted his resignation letter to President Arif Alvi, a day after the Supreme Court rejected his request to halt proceedings against him in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a constitutional body that oversees the conduct of judges.
“It was an honour to be appointed and to serve as a judge first of the Lahore High Court and then as the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” Naqvi said in his letter.
“In the circumstances which are a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it is no longer possible for me to continue to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he added.
“Considerations of due process also compel. I, therefore, effective today resign as judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.”
The SJC issued a show cause notice to Justice Naqvi on October 27 last year, amid various complaints of misconduct against him.
The notice was issued after the Pakistan Bar Council and others filed complaints alleging bench manipulation and financial misconduct by Naqvi.
Naqvi was also accused of misconduct in connection with an alleged audio leak that surfaced last year, in which he was purportedly heard discussing political matters with a politician.
Naqvi had denied all the allegations and challenged the SJC’s authority to initiate proceedings against him, saying it was biased and violated his right to due process.
He had also written a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and all the Supreme Court judges in December, saying the treatment meted out to him by the SJC was “nothing short of disgraceful”.
The SJC, headed by the Chief Justice and comprising four other senior judges, had issued two show-cause notices to Naqvi and given him deadlines to submit his replies.
Naqvi’s resignation sparked a political reaction, with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) saying it was not enough and demanding a scrutiny of the assets of judges and their heirs.
“The mere acceptance of the resignation is not enough,” PML-N leader Khawaja Asif said in a statement. “The assets of judges and their heirs should be scrutinised, as is the practice with politicians.”
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