ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) reserved its judgment in the case of the dismissal of former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Tuesday.

Siddiqui had contested his removal from service by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) following a speech he delivered at the Rawalpindi Bar Association.

A five-member bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and including Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, presided over the proceedings regarding Siddiqui’s plea against his removal as an IHC judge.

During the hearing, Siddiqui’s lawyer, Hamid Khan, requested a “fair inquiry” into the matter, arguing that Article 209(6) of the Constitution mandated an inquiry before the SJC could submit a report to the president.

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Responding to the allegations against his client, Hamid argued that they were related to a speech and urged the court to overturn the decision against Siddiqui.

CJP Qazi Faez Isa emphasized that the issue was not the speech itself but its content. He stated that a judge should not be removed merely for giving a speech, and expressed concern that such actions could lead to the removal of half of the judiciary.

The chief justice clarified that a judge’s code of conduct did not prohibit them from speaking, but problems arose when demands were made in the speech.

Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Awan argued that Siddiqui’s removal as an IHC judge without an inquiry was unlawful and unconstitutional.

The chief justice raised questions about the respect for constitutional institutions and pondered the appropriate order the bench should issue in such circumstances.

The court eventually reserved its verdict in the case. In a separate development, retired Lt-General Faiz Hameed submitted his response to the Supreme Court, denying accusations that he used his influence in Siddiqui’s removal.

Hameed stated that there was no meeting with the former IHC judge, and Siddiqui did not mention any such meeting in his speech or before the judicial council.