SC accepts Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s review petitions against presidential reference verdict

Qazi Faez Isa’s Review Petitions!

The Supreme Court on Monday accepted Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s review petitions challenging the court’s judgment on the presidential reference against him.

A 10-member bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heated the review petitions filed against the court’s June 19, 2020, judgment on the presidential reference in which the court had empowered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to conduct an inquiry into offshore assets of his spouse and children.

The Supreme Court in the short order of Justice Qazi Faez Isa review petition said:

“Petition No.17/2019 and other connected matters, along with supporting detailed reasons given in the majority judgment of the same date, is recalled and set aside.

“All the subsequent proceedings, actions, orders, information and reports in pursuance
of the directions contained in the short order dated 19.6.2020 and the detailed reasons thereof, are declared to be illegal and without any legal effect.”

“Resultantly, any such proceedings, actions, orders or reports cannot be considered or acted upon and pursued any further by any forum or authority including the Supreme Judicial Council.”

The top court accepted the review petitions by a majority of 6-4.

Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Mazhar Alam accepted the petitions.

Meanwhile, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, and Justice Qazi Ameen disagreed with the majority verdict.