SC issues written verdict in Justice Qazi Faez Isa case

Islamabad: The Supreme Court has issued written verdict of reviewing former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa case.

According to details, after nine months and two days the court has issued written verdict to review Justice Qazi Faez Isa case. A bench consists of 10 members accepted applications of reviewing case.

The complete order has been issued after more than nine months as the top court had ruled in favour of Justice Isa and his wife Sarina Isa in April last year and declared the top court’s directives to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) illegal.

The 45-page judgement was authored by Justice Maqbool Baqir, Justice Mazhar Alam, Justice Aminuddin and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and an additional note was penned by Justice Yahya Afridi.

In the verdict, it was mentioned that no one is superior than law including judges of the court.

“This judgment must announce loud and clear that no one, including a Judge of the highest court in the land, is above the law. At the same time, no one, including a Judge of the highest court in the land, can be denied his right to be dealt with in accordance with law,” the judges remarked at the start of the verdict.

In a comment on the SC ruling that asked the tax commissioner to probe Sarina Isa’s assets, the judges remarked that the children and wife of Justice Isa were private citizens and the court acted beyond its jurisdiction by issuing such an order.

“The tax matter of the petitioner, Mrs. Isa, could not have been referred to the Council as the role and jurisdiction of the Council is limited to the matters relating to the conduct and capability of the superior Court Judges.”

The brief verdict of the case was announced on April 26, 2021.