Lawyer confronts CJP during Practice and Procedure bill hearing

A full-bench of the Supreme Court took up the Practice and Procedure bill case on Monday where the hearing took a sudden turn when a lawyer confronted Justice Qazi Faez Isa over his ‘attitude’ after the judge refused to hear him.

As Justice Isa was conversing with Attorney General Mansoor Awan, who was already on the rostrum, if he would like to argue after everyone had completed what they had to say, lawyer Imtiaz Siddiqui came up to stand next to him.

The chief justice told him that he had completed his arguments already. However, Siddiqui continued to try to speak.

“Please don’t interrupt,” the chief justice said and tried to address the attorney general again.

However, Siddiqui cut across him and said it was ‘unfair’. He added that the judge had told him on the previous hearing that he would be heard after the attorney general.

When the judge said his arguments had already been heard, the lawyer told him he was factually incorrect.

“I will not argue if you don’t want to hear me but don’t put things which are factually incorrect,” Siddiqui said.

He then mentioned that another lawyer, Khawaja Tariq Rahim, had refused to show up in court because the CJP had been ‘unkind’ to him. He added that the judge’s own attitude was not appropriate.

The chief justice simply told him not to argue on behalf of someone who was not present in court.

Siddiqui replied that Rahim was his colleague and had instructed him to mention this in court.

However, the chief justice pulled up the written order from the last hearing and started reading it aloud after specifying that the order had been signed by all judges.

“Mr Imtiaz Rashid Siddiqui … states that he does not want to add anything furhter and that his written submissions may be read,” Justice Isa read out.

The chief justice then told him to sit down and addressed lawyer Zayed Ibrahim, before Siddiqui cut across again, saying he wanted to ‘protest’.

“Please take your seat before I issue something,” the chief justice said sternly, which prompted Siddqui to finally move away.