Pakistan appoints Hindu as chief justice

[BasitS]

Pakistan appoints Hindu as chief justice

Pakistan has appointed a Hindu, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, as the acting chief justice of the Supreme Court, though for a short period.

Justice Bhagwandas will take oath as acting chief justice of Pakistan on Friday at the Sindh bench of the Supreme Court in Karachi.

The appointment comes as Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is leaving for China on a 10-day visit. Justice Bhagwandas is the senior most judge in the Supreme Court after the chief justice.

According to the constitution, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court replaces the chief justice in his absence. This is the first time Chief Justice Chaudhry is going out of the country since he assumed office June 30 this year.

Justice Bhagwandas is well respected in the community for his extraordinary grip on constitutional law. He is a career judge, having worked as sessions judge and later as judge of the Sindh High Court.

Born on December 20, 1942, into a Hindu family in Sindh, Justice Bhagwandas joined the Pakistan judicial service in July 1967.

Besides graduation in law, Justice Bhagwandas has done his masters in Islamic Studies.

Justice Bhagwandas is the second non-Muslim judge in Pakistan to reach the top position in the judiciary. Justice AR Cornelius, a Christian, had served as the chief justice from 1960-68.

Some years ago when Justice Bhagwandas' position as judge of a high court was challenged for being non-Muslim, the petitioner was not only condemned by other judges of the high court but a large number of lawyers protested against the petition.

He was promoted to the Supreme Court in 2000 and will retire as a senior judge in December 2007 after attaining the age of 65.

However, he may not become permanent chief justice, as Justice Chaudhry would be retiring in December 2013, six years after Justice Bhagwandas' retirement.

In the mid-1990s, after a long controversy, the Supreme Court itself gave a ruling that the appointment of chief justices in high courts and the apex court would be made on the sole criterion of seniority.

Before that the appointment of the chief justice was the prerogative of the country's chief executive and in many cases junior judges were promoted to the top slot by superseding seniors.

[Khurram Shaikh]

This is a very good news indeed and I hope Pakistan selects more people on merit than safarish. Hindu community is very prosperous and influential community in Sindh, they should play their role at national level. Government should create environment and encourage other minorities to come forward and play their role in mainstream political and other activities.

KS