ISLAMABAD: The acting chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar, took oath in a ceremony boycotted by his fellow judges on Friday.
The lawyer bodies of the federal capital also “rejected” Justice Dogar’s appointment as the acting chief justice.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered oath to Justice Dogar at the Presidency.
All IHC judges were invited, but five of them, justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Saman Rafat Imtiaz, did not attend the ceremony.
Interestingly, Justice Kayani attended the oath-taking ceremony of new Supreme Court judges held on the same day at the top court’s building a few blocks from the Presidency.
Capital’s lawyers oppose Justice Dogar’s ‘promotion’, say he is not a judge of IHC
When a reporter asked Justice Kayani whether he would attend the oath-taking ceremony of his acting chief justice, he replied: “I am comfortable here”.
Justice Jahangiri, who also opted out of the oath-taking ceremony, later attended an event organised by the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) to distribute certificates among lawyers.
As the senior puisne judge of the IHC, Justice Kayani was in line to become the chief justice after the elevation of Justice Aamer Farooq to the Supreme Court.
However, the transfer of Justice Dogar from Lahore High Court rejigged the court’s seniority list, as he became the senior puisne judge, pushing Justice Kayani to No 3.
Justice Kayani also lost his position in the court’s Departmental Promotion Committee and the Administration Committee and was removed as the inspection judge of Special Courts.
On Tuesday, these judges sent a representation to the chief justice of the IHC and CJP Afridi against placing them down on the seniority list.
