ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Justice Amir Hani Muslim would retire on March 31 after serving in the Supreme Court for six years.
Hailing from Kotri District Dadu Sindh, Justice Hani was born on April 1, 1952. He was appointed as Judge Sindh High Court (SHC) in August 2002 and was among those judges, who refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) of November 2007.
Justice Hani was elevated as the Supreme Court judge in February 2011.
Justice Hani is at number three in the seniority list and being considered as one of those judges who is leaving behind his legacy by authoring landmark judgments for streamlining the civil service structure of the Country.
Thousands of federal and provincial governments’ employees have been either demoted or repatriated to their parents departments due to his rulings during the last four years.
The outgoing judge is still adjudicating cases regarding illegal appointments in different departments, especially in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
In September 2016, Justice Hani annulled dozens of appointments in the Islamabad High Court as illegal, and observed that the then chief justice and high court’s administration committee have completely disregarded their mandate in making these appointments.
In May 2013, he authored a comprehensive judgment, wherein all out-of-turn promotions, deputations, absorptions and reappointments were declared as illegal in Sindh and declared that no police personnel or civil servant is entitled to out-of-turn promotion on account of gallantry award or otherwise.
Last year, a bench, led by Justice Hani, initiated proceedings regarding compliance of its verdict in the governments at the centre and in other three provinces.
The compliance reports were sought by different federal and provincial departments.
In July, the Punjab police told the Supreme Court that it had withdrawn 10,884 out-of-turn promotions of officers in different ranks. The IG Punjab submitted that out-of-turn promotions granted to 66 DSPs had been withdrawn.
Later, the senior police official challenged Justice Hani’s verdict but their review petitions were rejected.
Likewise, around 40 officials in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have already been repatriated to their parent departments due to his bench’s proceedings.
Last week, he authored a comprehensive verdict on the provision of clean water in Sindh.
Last year, Justice Hani also restrained all four provincial chief ministers to appoint assistant commissioners on the quota system.
Source: APP/DND
