New Dispute Arises After Justice Babar Sattar’s Interim Order is Suspended by Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice

Islamabad: A fresh dispute has emerged after the interim order passed by Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court was suspended by a Division Bench led by Acting Chief Justice. According to reports, despite clear instructions from Justice Babar Sattar to the Deputy Registrar Judicial to list the case before his bench, the case was not scheduled as per the directive.
Justice Babar Sattar proceeded with the hearing despite the suspension of his order and issued a written ruling spanning eight pages. He stated that the order to schedule the case for hearing on March 26 had not been challenged before the Division Bench, thus questioning how it could be suspended. The court emphasized that the orders of March 12 and 26 were interim, with the final decision still pending.
The court highlighted that the Supreme Court has consistently clarified that the Chief Justice does not have the authority to intervene in cases under hearing on the administrative side. Justice Babar Sattar sought an explanation as to why no action had been taken against the Deputy Registrar for not listing the case for hearing despite judicial instructions. The Deputy Registrar Judicial and the Deputy Registrar IT were summoned to appear in person during the next hearing.
Justice Babar Sattar further questioned the Deputy Registrar IT, asking on whose instructions judicial orders were removed from the court’s website. The written ruling noted that the Deputy Registrar Judicial, when called upon, had informed the court that the order was suspended by the Division Bench, and by not including the case in the supplementary cause list, it appeared to be a violation of the judicial order.
The Deputy Registrar Judicial had justified the omission, stating that according to the Division Bench’s instructions, the case could not be scheduled. However, Justice Babar Sattar noted that the Division Bench had not been properly informed that this was an interim order.
The court referred to Section 3 of the Law Reforms Ordinance of 1972 in its ruling, stating that intra-court appeals could only be filed against the final decisions of a single bench, and interfering with the proceedings of a constitutional court via record requests or directives was inconceivable.
Justice Babar Sattar ruled that the case would be scheduled for the next hearing on May 7, and directed the Registrar Office to ensure the case was included in the cause list. If it was not listed, the hearing would proceed on May 7 nonetheless. Furthermore, the order was to be sent to all parties to ensure their attendance at the next hearing, and the order would be made part of the court record to inform the Division Bench.
Justice Babar Sattar also instructed the Deputy Registrar Judicial to appear in person at the next hearing and explain why no action had been taken against them for violating judicial orders. Additionally, the court issued a show-cause notice for contempt of court to the Director-General of Immigration and Passports and the Director of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, had earlier suspended Justice Babar Sattar’s order.