A high court judge in Pakistan has landed in trouble after the court annulled his appointment on grounds that his law degree was not valid and that his appointment was “without lawful authority”. The judge in question is Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, who served in the Islamabad High Court for five years. A division bench of the same court early this week annulled his appointment as it rendered his law degree void ab initio.
In the 116-page judgement, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan rendered his elevation to the high court a “legal nullity” as his academic credentials were found to be dubious, Pakistani news outlet The Dawn reported.
‘Academic credentials tainted by fraud, impersonation’
The judgement concluded that Jahangiri’s academic credentials were tainted by fraud, impersonation and a deliberate attempt to circumvent a disciplinary ban.
Jahangiri first appeared for his LL.B. Part-I exams in 1988 under a fake enrolment number and was later caught using unfair means, following which he was debarred for three years through a university disqualification circular issued in 1989, the report said, citing the court verdict.
However, the report added, Jahangiri defied the ban and “chose a course of deliberate misrepresentation” as he reappeared in the 1990 examinations using a different identity — “Tariq Jahangiri” — using an enrolment number originally issued to another student, Imtiaz Ahmad. He appeared in the exams for LLB Part-II under his actual name but used another enrolment number.
The bench observed 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. The series of discrepancies led the mark sheets and degree to be declared invalid.
The court was also informed that by the Government Islamia Law College that Jahangiri “was never admitted” to the institution.
Jahnagiri was also criticised for his conduct during proceedings as he did not produce original documents or submit a written reply despite being given repeated opportunities.
