Justice KK Agha was sworn in as a judge of the newly created Federal Constitutional Court, with Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan administering the oath at a ceremony attended by senior members of the judiciary.
Other judges of the Federal Constitutional Court – Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi – were present on the occasion. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar along with other IHC judges also attended the ceremony while representatives of Islamabad High Court Bar Association including President Wajid Gilani and Secretary Manzoor Jajja were present.
Read: Who is who on the first bench of the newly created Federal Constitutional Court?
Earlier, IHC judges Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan arrived at the event, followed by Justice Inaam Amin Minhas, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Muhammad Asif.
Soon after the Senate passed four bills linked to the 27th constitutional amendment, the government moved quickly to operationalize the new legal framework.
Justice Aminuddin Khan was earlier sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court where President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
In a related development, the President accepted the resignation of Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, who resigned, calling the amendment a violation of the judiciary and the 1973 Constitution.
Justice Aminuddin’s swearing-in ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, after which he pledged to uphold the Constitution, follow the Supreme Judicial Council’s code of conduct and ensure decisions free from personal interest, fear or favour.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, NA Spokesperson Ayaz Sadiq, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Cabinet Members, COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir, CJCSC General Sahir ShamPPshad Chairza, Bila Bhutto Zardari, CJCSC General Sahir ShamPPhud, Mirman. parliamentarians and members of the legal fraternity.
Read more: ’27. amendment to ensure justice’
Along with Justice Agha, six judges were appointed to the FCC under Article 175A read with Article 175C. These include Justices Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Aamer Farooq and Ali Baqar Najafi of the Supreme Court, Justice KK Agha of the Sindh High Court, Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah, appointed after the decline of Justice Musardrat Hilali.
Of the appointed judges, Justices Rizvi, Farooq and Najafi were administered the oath by Justice Aminuddin at the Islamabad High Court.
Justice Agha’s appointment brings the FCC bench closer to full strength, with the government now considering increasing the total number of judges from seven to thirteen, a move that would require fresh parliamentary approval.
