ISLAMABAD — In a dramatic escalation of the Justice Jahangiri fake degree case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the removal of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri from his judicial post, marking an unprecedented development in Pakistan’s judicial accountability landscape.
The IHC division bench, headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and including Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, ruled that serious questions about the authenticity of Jahangiri’s law degree and eligibility justified immediate action, including his removal from judicial duties. The bench declared the petition challenging his academic credentials maintainable and issued notices to all respondents, directing formal responses within three days.
The controversy centers on allegations that Justice Jahangiri obtained his LLB degree through unfair means. According to a Karachi University notification, the judge’s degree was cancelled following findings by the university’s Unfair Means Committee, which concluded that multiple enrolment records and irregularities tainted his academic credentials. The Sindh High Court (SHC) later suspended that cancellation order, adding complexity to the case.
Justice Jahangiri vehemently denies the accusations, asserting that his degree is genuine and challenging procedural aspects of the proceedings. He has taken multiple legal steps, including moving the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) against the IHC’s order declaring the petition maintainable. His legal team stresses that he was not given adequate notice before earlier rulings and has sought further hearings on due process grounds.
The decision to remove Jahangiri from his position follows earlier actions, such as an IHC order barring him from judicial work, which was temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court, making this one of the most closely watched judicial disputes in recent Pakistani history.
The Justice Jahangiri fake degree case continues to divide legal circles, with supporters advocating judicial accountability while critics warn about impacts on judicial independence. As proceedings move forward, all eyes remain on subsequent hearings and potential appeals to the Supreme Court and FCC, making this a defining moment for judicial ethics in Pakistan.
