In a twist that sounds like a law exam gone wrong, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that one of its own judges never had a valid law degree to begin with.
According to Dawn, the IHC issued a detailed 116-page judgment removing Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, declaring that his appointment was “without lawful authority” because he did not possess a valid law degree. Dawn reported that a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar held his LLB degree to be “void ab initio”, rendering his elevation to the high court a “legal nullity”.
Justice Jahangiri was no stranger to controversy. In 2023, he issued a protective order for former prime minister Imran Khan, directing authorities not to arrest him in future cases without due legal process. The order drew strong criticism from the government, with some ruling party supporters accusing him of favouring Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He has also written to the Supreme Judicial Council, alleging interference by the ISI in judicial affairs. In that letter, he accused the intelligence agency of exerting pressure and carrying out surveillance on judges and their families.
As per Dawn, the bench relied on original academic records produced by the University of Karachi and found serious irregularities in Jahangiri’s academic history. The judgment stated that he first appeared in his LLB Part-I examination in 1988 using a fake enrolment number. After being caught using unfair means, he was debarred for three years in 1989.
Instead of serving the ban, the court observed he “chose a course of deliberate misrepresentation” and reappeared in 1990 under a different identity, using an enrolment number originally issued to another student. He later appeared in Part-II under his real name but with yet another enrolment number, Dawn reported.
Quoting the Karachi University Controller of Examinations, the bench noted that a university issues only one enrolment number per programme and that it was “impossible” for a student to be allotted two numbers for the same degree. His mark sheets and degree were declared invalid. The court reiterated that what is void from the outset cannot be validated later.
The bench also criticised his conduct during proceedings. According to Dawn, the court termed his requests for a full court, recusal of the chief justice and adjournment as “dilatory tactics” and described attempts to influence bench formation as a “classic textbook manifestation of mala fide and bench-hunting”.
The petition challenging his degree was filed by lawyer Mian Dawood. Dawn reported that Jahangiri has challenged the proceedings before the Federal Constitutional Court, alleging bias and violation of fair trial rights.
