IHC Judge recuses himself from hearing plea filed by section officers

Islamabad High Court Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir withdrew himself from hearing a petition on Friday, as he expressed dissatisfaction over perceived efforts to sway the proceedings. The petition was submitted by section officers deputed on duty, who were contesting the decision to repatriate them to their respective provinces. Advocate Raja Aleem Abbasi represented the petitioners during the hearing.

Justice Tahir strongly disapproved of the petitioners allegedly seeking recommendations from him and arranging telephone calls to discuss their case. He emphasized that approaching a judge in this manner was disallowed and inappropriate. The counsel for the petitioners informed the court that the section officers, primarily teachers on deputation, contested the repatriation decision, the relevant notification, and sought their regularisation and incorporation into the Office Management Group (OMG).

Justice Tahir acknowledged the nature of the petition as per his counsel, but deemed the attempts to contact him via telephone calls unacceptable. Subsequently, the judge removed himself from hearing the case and transferred the file to the chief justice's office to form a new panel. The petitioners listed include Khalid Mehmood, Mohammad Arif, Dilshad Ahmed, Saeed Chaudhry, Dr Mohammad Ismail, and Najibullah.