Justice Tariq Jahangiri of the Islamabad High Court has approached the Federal Constitutional Court challenging an IHC order that declares maintainable a petition seeking verification of his academic degree.
The dispute centres on Justice Jahangiri’s LLB degree, which the University of Karachi cancelled. On December 9, a division bench of the Islamabad High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, ruled that the petition filed by Advocate Mian Dawood was admissible. Consequently, the bench issued notices to Justice Jahangiri and other respondents.
In his plea before the Federal Constitutional Court, Justice Jahangiri argued that the petition filed in the IHC was not maintainable in law. Therefore, he requested the court to set aside the IHC order and dismiss the petition.
Advocate Dawood had challenged Justice Jahangiri’s appointment as a high court judge, alleging that his academic credentials were invalid. The petition triggered a series of legal proceedings across multiple courts.
Separately, Justice Jahangiri has filed three petitions in the Islamabad High Court related to the same controversy. Through senior counsel Akram Sheikh and Barrister Salahuddin, he sought the formation of a full court to hear the matter. He requested that the bench not include Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and other judges transferred to the IHC.
In another plea, Justice Jahangiri asked the court to suspend proceedings until a final verdict is delivered in a related case pending before the Sindh High Court. He also sought additional time to submit his formal reply in the IHC proceedings.
Degree controversy background
The controversy arises from the University of Karachi’s decision to revoke Justice Jahangiri’s LLB degree. According to a university notification, the syndicate approved Resolution No. 06 during its meeting on August 31, 2024. This was in line with the competent authority’s decision and upheld the recommendations of the Unfair Means Committee.
Read: IHC Rejects Justice Jahangiri’s Objection to Division Bench
The notification stated that Justice Jahangiri was found guilty of using unfair means. He was barred for three years from admission to any university or college and from appearing in any university examination. Furthermore, the university clarified that he was never enrolled as a student at Islamia Law College, Karachi, in 1989.
The matter escalated on September 16, when an IHC bench restrained Justice Jahangiri from performing judicial duties. The order was passed by a bench led by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar on a petition filed by Mian Dawood.
On September 20, Justice Jahangiri, along with four other IHC judges, approached the apex court against the restraining order. The other judges included Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Saman Rifat, and Justice Ejaz Ishaq Khan.
Subsequently, on September 29, a five-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, suspended the IHC order that had barred Justice Jahangiri from judicial work. As a result, the legal proceedings related to the degree controversy remain ongoing.
