Benazir hails Pak SC verdict in favour of Justice Chaudhry

Welcoming the Supreme Courts verdict to reinstate Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto today said the decision proves the supremacy of both the judiciary and the Constitution and Parliament.

Islamabad, July 20 : Welcoming the Supreme Court's verdict to reinstate Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto today said the decision proves the supremacy of both the judiciary and the Constitution and Parliament.

Benazir, who is Chairperson of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was quoted as saying by The News, that the verdict is the most important decision in the history of the Pakistan's judiciary.

Earlier in the day, reversing years of judicial compliance to the executive, a 13-member full bench of the apex court declared the March 9 suspension order on Justice Chaudhry as unconstitutional and restored his designation to him.

The Supreme Court decision came during the hearing of an appeal by Chaudhry against his suspension by President Pervez Musharraf.

"The reference of the President dated March 9, 2007 is set aside," The News quoted presiding judge Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday as telling the court. He said the panel of judges had reached a 10-3 decision in Chaudhry's favour after a 43-day hearing.

"As a further consequence, the petitioner, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, shall be deemed to be holding the said office and shall always be deemed to have been so holding the same," he added.

Justice Chaudhry had challenged Musharraf's decision to suspend him on charges of misusing his office and to have a judicial panel investigate him for alleged misconduct, a move that triggered political and legal turmoil across the country.

Chaudhry's lead counsel, Aitzaz Ahsan, had filed a petition against the presidential reference under article 184-III of the Constitution.

Earlier in the day, the "make or break" verdict was billed as the "mother of all cases" in the history of Pakistan's judiciary, often blamed for playing second fiddle to successive military regimes.

Chaudhry's suspension also led to the lone Hindu judge of the apex court, Rana Bhagwan Das, becoming the Acting Chief Justice (ACJ). Das became the first Hindu judge to have risen to the highest judicial post in the Islamic State.

The 13-member bench appointed by Das concluded the two-month hearing in the case, which was often marred by acrimonious arguments between the prosecution and lawyers of Chaudhry who charged that Musharraf's action in filing a reference against the judge was done with mala-fide intention.

On this occasion, special security arrangements were made outside the Supreme Court by posting heavy contingents of police.

The 13-member full court headed by Justice Khalilur Rahman Ramday, comprising of Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice M Javed Buttar, Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, Justice Ch Ijaz Ahmed, Justice Syed Jamshed Ali, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Ghulam Rabbani.

ANI