IHC disqualifies Justice Tariq Jahangiri over ‘fake degree’

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday declared Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri unfit to hold office, disqualifying him following a high-profile case involving a fraudulent law degree, Aaj News reported.

The court ruled that Jahangiri’s appointment as a judge was “illegal” as he did not possess a valid LLB degree at the time of his elevation to the bench.

Karachi University declares Justice Tariq Jahangiri’s degree forged

A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Azam Khan, directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to immediately de-notify the judge.

During the proceedings, the registrar of Karachi University presented original records that exposed a series of systemic frauds in the judge’s educational history. The registrar testified that Jahangiri was unfair means during an exam and was subsequently banned for three years for threatening the examiner.

The accused used a fraudulent enrollment form and altered both his name and his father’s name at different stages of his LLB, the university alleged.

In Part I, he was registered as “Tariq Jahangiri s/o Muhammad Akram,” but changed it to “Tariq Mehmood s/o Qazi Muhammad Akram” in Part II, it said.

The registrar said despite his three-year ban, university records suspiciously showed him passing all subjects in 1990—two years earlier than his actual eligibility in 1992.

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Furthermore, the principal of Government Islamia College confirmed that no student by the name of Tariq Jahangiri was ever enrolled in the institution’s records.

Background and controversy

The scandal surfaced in July 2024 after a Karachi University letter leaked on social media, revealing that Jahangiri’s enrollment number (5968) actually belonged to another student. The Karachi University Syndicate officially cancelled his enrollment and degree in August 2024.

Petitioner Mian Dawood argued before the bench that Justice Jahangiri had committed perjury by taking a false oath regarding his credentials. Dawood submitted that the judge’s enrollment forms and degrees were “bogus” from the outset. While defence counsel argued for a stay based on pending proceedings in the Sindh High Court and the right to a fair trial under Article 10A, the bench proceeded with the disqualification based on the verified university records.

Justice Jahangiri was appointed to the IHC in December 2020. He was notably one of the six IHC judges who wrote a joint letter to the Supreme Judicial Council in March 2023, alleging interference in judicial matters by intelligence agencies.