Full bench to hear petitions challenging reference against Qazi Faez Isa

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa on Friday constituted a full bench to hear petitions challenging the presidential reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

Headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, the bench will comprise 10 judges of the apex court.

Members of the Supreme Judicial Council including Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Gulzar, Justice Mushir ALam, Justice Sardar Tariq and Justice Ejazul Ahsan are not part of the bench.

The bench is scheduled to hear the petitions on September, 24 at 1:00 pm.

A seven-judge bench of the apex court had dissolved after Munir A Malik, the counsel for Justice Isa, had raised an objection and requested the court to constitute a new bench.

Malik had requested that a full-court bench excluding members of the Supreme Judicial Council be formed.

The references

Justice Isa had written letters to President Alvi after the law minister instituted a presidential reference against him for allegedly possessing properties in the United Kingdom in the name of wife and children.

In the second reference, Advocate Waheed Shahzad Butt had contended that by repeatedly writing letters "instead of explaining the sources of funds for such acquisition of properties", Justice Isa had violated the code of conduct for judges of the superior courts. Advocate Butt had also alleged that the letters were leaked to the media to generate unnecessary public controversy, that the language used in the letters was offensive, that the judge had unduly targeted the Prime Minister and leveled unsubstantiated allegations against President Alvi and other federal cabinet members.