Matter of regulating powers of IHC Chief Justice comes up

Islamabad: After the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), the issue of regulating the powers of Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) came up.

According to details, IHC Judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani recommended to refer the matter to the Administrative Committee of the High Court.

Justice Mohsin Kayani said: “In the absence of Chief Justice, the administrative judge does not have the authority to constitute a bench as he cannot appoint an emergency case for hearing on the same day.

He stated that the administrative judge has the authority to mark important cases for the next day, even after marking the case, the administrative judge cannot constitute a bench for hearing.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar added that the Administrative Judge can only mark the case according to the powers provided by the Chief Justice. In hindsight, this aspect puts the petitioner in a difficult situation. The authority to run the administrative affairs of the Islamabad High Court lies with the Administrative Committee.

He continued to say that the matter should be placed before the Administrative Committee so that they can take a decision on it. Under the High Court Rules and Orders, the matter can also be placed before the Full Court.