The Islamabad High Court has suspended Senior Civil Judge Inamullah following his controversial decision to grant a stay on the demolition of the Monal Restaurant, which had been ordered by the Supreme Court due to illegal construction.
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq issued the suspension, made him an OSD and mandated that Judge Inamullah report to the high court immediately. An inquiry has also been launched against the judge, with Sessions Judge Kamran Basharat Mufti appointed as the inquiry officer.
The Supreme Court had previously withdrawn a contempt notice against the restaurant's owner and referred the case concerning Judge Inamullah's suspension to the Islamabad High Court for further review.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa had expressed concerns about the misuse of social media, questioning if it was being used to undermine institutions and judges. He asserted that if their orders were incorrect, they should be criticized constructively, but not through attacks on institutions.
"Will decisions now be made through gangsterism in parliament, judiciary and media?" he asked.
Chief Justice Isa expressed astonishment that a civil judge could halt the enforcement of a Supreme Court order. He emphasized that judges should first determine whether there should be any relief on the claims before issuing injunctions. "Action should be taken against such judges. How did the civil judge know that the petitioner is a first class contractor?" he asked.
CJP Isa further highlighted that under the Constitution, the executive and the judiciary are bound to obey the orders of the Supreme Court. "Apparently the stay order has been issued to negate the court orders," he observed.
