Former Additional Registrar Judicial Nazar Abbas, recently removed by the Supreme Court due to an alleged serious lapse, claims he is facing double jeopardy. On Saturday, his Intra Court Appeal (ICA), filed to challenge a show-cause notice for contempt of court, surfaced.
In his appeal, Abbas argues that he is subject to double jeopardy. He was issued a show-cause notice for failing to fix CPLA Nos. 836-K to 887-K of 2020 before the special bench, as per the order passed by the Regular Bench on January 16, 2025. At the same time, a Supreme Court press release stated that the cases were wrongly fixed before the Regular Bench instead of the Constitutional Bench. Abbas contends this contradiction leaves him in an unfair situation.
Abbas further explained that an initial order from January 13, 2025, sent to the Webmaster, listed the hearing date as January 27, 2025. This was later changed, and another order reflecting January 16, 2025, as the new hearing date was forwarded. On January 16, the petitions were heard, but one bench member, who had authored the judgment, recused himself. The bench then rescheduled the hearing for January 20, 2025, stating that the matter would be heard for the first time and detailed the bench’s composition.
Show-Cause Notice and Removal from Position
On January 20, 2025, the bench, comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, issued Abbas a show-cause notice for failing to fix the case, initiating contempt proceedings against him. Later, on January 21, 2025, Abbas was removed from his position and made an OSD (Officer on Special Duty) under an office order from the registrar of the Supreme Court. He was instructed to report to the Registrar’s office until further notice.
Read: PTI Challenges 26th Constitutional Amendment in Supreme Court
In his ICA, Abbas seeks to have the registrar’s order, issued on January 21, 2025, set aside and the contempt proceedings quashed. He argues that the order is without lawful jurisdiction and should be declared null. Additionally, he requests that the contempt proceedings be stayed while his appeal is pending and that the case record be summoned for a fair decision.
The Supreme Court removed Abbas on January 21, 2025, due to what it described as a serious lapse in his duties. The Registrar has been instructed to investigate the matter further.
