Pakistan judge accuses high court chief justice of misconduct in growing degree case row

A senior judge of Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court (IHC), Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, has accused the court’s chief justice, Sardar Sarfaraz Dogar, of serious misconduct, filing petitions on Wednesday to have him recused from the proceedings concerning Jahangiri’s own academic credentials.

Justice Jahangiri alleged that Chief Justice Dogar breached the judicial code of conduct by discussing a pending case with him and others, and by acknowledging pressure to fast-track proceedings related to an alleged degree dispute.

The petitions were submitted to the Federal Constitutional Court, the IHC and the Supreme Judicial Council.

In his filings, Jahangiri said the chief justice conveyed—directly and indirectly—that he should submit a post-dated resignation to ease the pressure surrounding the case. Jahangiri argued that once a sub judice matter was discussed, the chief justice was no longer eligible to sit on the bench hearing it.

Jahangiri said he has formally lodged a complaint against Dogar with the Supreme Judicial Council and reiterated his demand that the chief justice step aside from the degree case. An application linked to the matter was filed at the IHC earlier on Tuesday.

IHC order challenged

Separately, an IHC order in the alleged fake degree case involving Jahangiri has been challenged before the Constitutional Court. Jahangiri has assembled a legal team of senior lawyers to contest the ruling.

Advocate Aziz Bhandari filed the appeal before the Constitutional Court, challenging a December 9 order by a two-member IHC bench. Lawyers Akram Sheikh and Barrister Salahuddin are representing Jahangiri before the high court.

The appeal argues that the petition heard by the high court was not maintainable and that individuals who were not respondents were heard at the admissibility stage, while Jahangiri himself was not.

It further contends that verification of an LLB degree requires the recording of evidence, a function reserved for trial courts rather than high courts exercising writ jurisdiction.

Jahangiri has also filed three separate applications before the IHC, again objecting to Dogar’s participation and seeking his recusal. In one application, he requested that two judges recently transferred to the court also be excluded from the full court and called for the formation of a full court bench.

In another filing, Jahangiri sought 30 days to submit a reply and asked that proceedings be adjourned pending a decision in a related case before the Sindh High Court.