The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) meeting will be held on Tuesday (July 2) to deliberate upon references against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice KK Agha, sources told.
The SJC headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising two senior judges of apex court, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, and two senior chief justices of high courts - Waqar Ahmad Seth, CJ Peshawar High Court and Ahmad Ali Sheikh, CJ Sindh High Court - on June 14 heard Attorney General for Pakistan Anwar Mansoor. He represented the federal government that filed the references.
The Section 8 (3) of the SJC Procedure of Enquiry 2005, says; "If the council is of the view that before forming an opinion, it should also hear the judge under enquiry, it shall require the said judge to present himself before the council. The council shall provide him with the information and material received against him."
The same day (June 14) SJC sent a copy of reference along with attached documents to Justice Qazi Faez Isa at his official residence in Islamabad. The sources shared that Justice Qazi is on leave for two months.
In view of the leakage of the reference contents to the media, Justice Qazi wrote two letters to President of Pakistan Arif Alvi for providing the reference copy. "I may have endured the iniquitous tactics employed against me and my family but does the matter not suggest something more - to undermine the independence of the judiciary?"
Justice Qazi in his letters questioned if Prime Minister [Imran Khan], who advised the president to submit reference, had disclosed in all his tax returns the properties owned by his wives and the children and if the Premier did not do so, he would surely not have advised the president to submit the reference.
President Arif Alvi on May 27, 2019 sent references to the SJC under Article 209 of the Constitution against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice KK Agha for not declaring properties abroad and failing to mention thhem in his wealth statements.A Lahore-based lawyer, Waheed Shahzad Butt also submitted an application for a new reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa in the Supreme Judicial Council on June 13.
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