On January 25, a larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, will hear the petition filed by the sacked judge. The bench includes Justices Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Irfan Saadat Khan.
President Arif Alvi removed Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on October 11, 2018, based on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) under Article 209(6) and Article 48(1) of the Constitution. The SJC unanimously concluded that Justice Siddiqui had exhibited conduct “unbecoming of a high court judge” during a speech at a Rawalpindi District Bar Association event on July 21, 2018, where he accused secret agencies of manipulating benches.
Justice Siddiqui challenged the SJC decision in the Supreme Court, and under Chief Justice Isa’s leadership, the case was listed for a hearing. The court issued notice to former ISI chief Faiz Hameed on December 15, directing the petitioner to file an amended petition within seven days.
Meanwhile, former Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja has raised objections to the bench formed to hear appeals against the Supreme Court’s decision nullifying the trials of May 9 rioters in military courts. He contends that the bench formation does not comply with the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023. On October 23, 2023, a larger bench of the Supreme Court declared the trials of civilians in military courts null and void. However, on December 13, a six-member SC bench suspended the October 23 order while hearing intra-court appeals supporting military court trials for PTI supporters involved in the May 9 vandalism.