Audio Leaks Case: Justice Sattar Rejects FIA, PTA, PEMRA’s Requests for Recusal

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) imposed fines of Rs500,000 on three government bodies each, while rejecting their appeals regarding the bench handling the audio leaks case here on Monday.

Additionally, the court hinted at the possibility of initiating contempt of court proceedings against officials from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Separate petitions were submitted by these three departments along with the Intelligence Bureau, whose Joint Director General Tariq Mehmood has been summoned for the upcoming hearing. Several government entities filed individual requests with the IHC, urging that the audio leaks case be assigned to the same bench that previously addressed a similar issue in 2021.

These applications, submitted by at least four government bodies, aimed to place the petitions of Bushra Bibi and Najamul Saqib, son of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, before the bench that handled a comparable matter in 2021. They sought Justice Babar Sattar’s recusal to ensure consistency in decision-making and uphold the principles of justice.

Justice Sattar had been overseeing these petitions since they surfaced in 2023. The government departments argued in their pleas that Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had previously ruled on a similar matter in 2021, necessitating Justice Sattar’s recusal to prevent conflicting judgments and maintain judicial integrity.

These requests for recusal come after six IHC judges, including Justice Sattar, wrote to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on March 25, highlighting concerns about intelligence agencies’ alleged interference in judicial matters. The judges urged the SJC to convene a judicial convention to address the reported interference, which they claimed undermined judicial independence and integrity.