Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi of the Supreme Court has resigned from the Supreme Court due to ongoing proceedings against him on the charge of misconduct.
In a resignation to President Arif Alvi, he wrote that “it was an honour to be appointed and to serve as a Judge first of the Lahore High Court, Lahore and then as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In the circumstances which are a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it is no longer possible for me to continue to serve as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Considerations of due process also compel so.”
A three-member bench of the apex court, led by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and including Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Musrat Hilali, heard the petition filed by Justice Mazahar challenging the proceedings of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the show cause notice served to him on charges of misconduct.
Last year on October 27, the SJC issued a show cause notice to Justice Mazahar in response to various complaints, including allegations of bench manipulation and financial misconduct by the Supreme Court judge.
The complaints were lodged by the Pakistan Bar Council, advocate Mian Dawood, and others.
In response, Justice Mazahar raised concerns about the inquiry and called for Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and two other judges to recuse themselves from the matter.
On November 20, he contested the SJC proceedings and challenged the show cause notice, asserting that the initiation of proceedings lacked lawful authority.
Subsequently, on November 22, the SJC issued a second show cause notice, urging a detailed response from Justice Mazahar regarding the allegations presented by multiple petitioners.
On January 4, Justice Naqvi filed a petition in the apex court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, characterizing the misconduct complaints against him as a direct and blatant assault on the judiciary’s independence.
It is noteworthy that the name of the top court judge also surfaced in connection with recent audio leaks purportedly involving him, former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi, and others.
