Pakistan's suspended Chief Justice challenges proceedings

Chief Justice of Pakistan, suspended by President Pervez Musharraf last month on charges of misuse of authority, on Wednesday challenged proceedings against him by a panel of judges.
President Musharraf suspended the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on March 9 and sent a reference against him to the five-member panel of judges.
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, defence lawyer for the suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said the Chief Justice has challenged in the Supreme Court the composition, proceedings and jurisdiction of the pane, known as the Supreme Judicial Council.
Ahsan said Mr Chuadhry, in his petition, asked the Supreme Court to stop proceedings by the SJC as this body has no power to hear the case against the Chief Justice.
President of Pakistan has been made as respondent in the petition.
Munir A Malik, one of the defence lawyers told reporters that the petitioner has called for hearing of the case by a full court of the Supreme Court instead of Supreme Judicial Council.
He said the defence lawyers have also requested that the case be heard by April 20th.
Meanwhile the panel of judges on Wednesday refused a plea from the defence lawyers of the suspended Chief Justice to announce judgment about their objections at three members of the panel hearing presidential reference against Justice Iftikhar Muhamamd Chauhry.
The defence lawyers say that three judges are bias towards Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and that they be removed from the five-member panel The panel, headed by Acting Chief Justice Rana Bhagwandas, ruled that at present the plea cannot be accepted and that all issues should be brought before the panel.
Courtesy: IRNA