Case filed against Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi in SJC.

ISLAMABAD: On Thursday, a judicial reference was submitted to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Judge Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi of the Supreme Court, accusing him of “misconduct” and “amassing illegal assets.”

Mian Dawood, an attorney, brought the complaint against Judge Naqvi for allegedly breaking the Supreme Court judges’ code of conduct, which was established under Clause (8) of Article 209 of the Constitution.

Dawood said in a tweet that the SJC received the referral “on the grounds of misbehaviour, creation of unlawful assets, and amassing fortune through frontmen.”

In Islamabad, he continued, a press conference would be conducted in front of the Supreme Court to discuss the details of this reference.

ہم نے سپریم جوڈیشل کونسل میں جسٹس مظاہر نقوی کیخلاف مس کنڈکٹ، ناجائز اثاثے بنانے، فرنٹ مینوں کے زریعے دولت اکٹھی کرنے کی بنیاد پر جوڈیشل ریفرنس/شکایت دائر کر دی ہے۔ اس ریفرنس کے مندرجات پر ٹھیک 1 بجے سپریم کورٹ اسلام آباد کے باہر پریس کانفرنس بھی کی جائیگی۔ pic.twitter.com/8NYciBHkHr

— Mian Dawood (@miandawoodadv) February 23, 2023

The SC judge and his family were allegedly “engaged in following malpractices and misuse of power in a criminal-designed pattern during his tenure,” the reference states.

According to the lawsuit, Justice Naqvi exploited his authority “to help his kids and a daughter studying overseas and collecting financial benefits from Zahid Rafique.”

The SC judge has allegedly “influenced” and “manipulated” legal proceedings, according to the complaint, and “cases are being rigged” in his court.

The lawsuit further alleges that the SC judge “openly flaunts his affiliation with PTI and its leader Imran Khan.”

The reference went on to say that he “attracts Article 209 for his removal as judge of the Supreme Court” and is “guilty of misbehaviour and incapable of fulfilling his duties per mandate of law.”

The judge “grossly breached” Articles 3 and 5 of the code of conduct, failing to “be above reproach and for this purpose to keep his conduct in all things official and private, free from impropriety,” and using “the influence of his position to seek undue advantage,” according to the reference.

In line with Sub-Clause (b) of Clause (5) of Article 209 of the Constitution, the reference demanded a “independent comprehensive inquiry” of Judge Naqvi.

Further, it demanded that Judge Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi be relieved of his duties as a member of the Pakistan Supreme Court “upon verification of the above-mentioned facts.”

Before the release of audio leaks purporting to contain a conversation between Justice Naqvi and former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi regarding the fixation of a case, top legal organisations including the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) announced filing separate complaints of misconduct in the SJC against Justice Naqvi.

According to the PBC’s executive committee chairman, the council had ordered the Chief Justice to punish individuals involved if the recording was phoney and to take action against those involved if it was real.