Babar Sattar, Mehmood Jahangiri to take oath as additional judges of IHC

• Chief Justice IHC Justice Athar Minallah will administer oath to the newly appointed judges
• Legal fraternity from IHC, district bar expected to participate in oath-taking ceremony
• Babar Sattar has spoken about issues related to civil liberties, protests, and court rulings over the years

Two newly-appointed additional judges of Islamabad High Court are set to assume charge of their office after taking oath on Wednesday.

Chief Justice IHC Justice Athar Minallah would administer the oath to the newly appointed judges — Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Babar Sattar.

The legal fraternity from IHC and the district bar are expected to participate in the oath-taking ceremony.

The Ministry of Law and Justice, a day earlier, had issued a notification regarding the judge's appointment of the judges for a year.

Sattar, Jahangiri nominated

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had recommended the appointment of Sattar and Jahangiri as additional judges.

Under Article 175-A of the Constitution, the commission recommends appointment and confirmation of the judges whereas the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges endorses these recommendations.

Who is Babar Sattar?

Advocate Babar Sattar has in the past represented the Supreme Court judge, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, when a ten-judge full court heard his petition against the now-quashed presidential reference.

Read more: Prominent lawyer Babar Sattar recommended for post of additional judge at IHC

A reputed columnist, he has spoken about issues related to civil liberties, protests, and court rulings over the years.

According to Salahuddin Ahmed, the president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SCBA), Sattar "is one of the most qualified and upright advocates to be ever chosen for elevation as a judge”.

In an interview to the Newsline magazine, Sattar spoke about the power of the judiciary and the judges' authorities. "There is a big debate around the world as to what judges can do in courts.

"And the argument is that they have soft discretion and hard discretion, meaning thereby that they can interpret words and that they have slight discretion in interpreting words in a certain way," he had told the publication.