Our Correspondent
MIRPUR :The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) Tuesday dismissed the review petition of recently-removed five judges of the AJK High Court seeking their reinstatement.
The bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan and the Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal issued a short order rejecting the review petition, filed by the president of AJK and four out of five sacked judges including Justice Raza Ali Khan, Justice Raja Sajjad Ahmed Khan, Justice Sardar Muhammad Ejaz and Justice Choudhry Khalid Yousaf seeking their reinstatement.
The fifth removed judge Justice Munir Chauhdry had not filed the review petition since he was restored to the office of the District & Session Judge.
The SC had ordered removal of such judges on July 17 this year by declaring their appointments violation of the provisions of the article 43 of Interim Constitution of Azad Jammu Kashmir 1974.
The apex court had also declared in its verdict announced on July 17 that the appointments were made without proper consultation.
The removed judges had been appointed as judges of the AJK HC by the President AJK on the advice of the AJK Council vide the notification No LD/AD/711-30/2018, dated 21.05.2018.
The SC had further declared that the consultation for appointment of the aforesaid five judges by the President AJK, both the Chief Justices of the AJK SC and HC was not in accordance with the law.
It is worth mentioning that the appointments of all five judges were challenged through separate writ petitions filed by a number of practicing lawyers from AJK.