ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) nullified a Sindh High Court (SHC) order concerning police reforms and disciplinary measures against police officers, declaring that the SHC had overstepped its jurisdiction.
A two-judge panel, headed by Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, issued a detailed written verdict stating that the SHC’s order effectively amounted to taking suo motu notice, a power not granted to high courts under Article 199 of the Constitution.
The FCC highlighted that no active case was pending before the SHC against the officers in question, rendering the court’s intervention in this criminal matter an unauthorized exercise of authority.
The judgment mentioned that police officers Amjad Ahmed Sheikh and Asif Ali had challenged the SHC’s ruling. Meanwhile, the Advocate General of Sindh contended that the high court’s directive was based on police reform guidelines from a Supreme Court decision issued three decades ago, whereas the Sindh government has since enacted several new laws and implemented modern police reforms.
In a significant development, the FCC set aside the SHC’s decision but instructed that the ongoing internal inquiry into the police officers must proceed strictly in accordance with the law.
The apex court underscored that the annulled high court order will not affect the outcome of the independent inquiry currently underway.
