President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the removal of Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri from the Islamabad High Court on the advice of the Prime Minister. The de-notification was issued in compliance with the court’s earlier decision, which declared his appointment unlawful and ordered him to relinquish the position immediately.
Earlier, during the hearing of the degree controversy case, the Islamabad High Court ruled that Justice Jahangiri was ineligible to serve as a judge due to issues related to his academic qualifications. The Registrar of Karachi University appeared before the court and submitted the original academic record, confirming that the university had officially cancelled his degree after verifying that it was obtained based on a forged enrolment form.
During the proceedings, Advocate Mian Dad informed the court that the enrollment forms attributed to Tariq Jahangiri were bogus, and argued that if the judge believed otherwise, he should present the mark sheets of LL.B Part I and Part II. Meanwhile, the principal of Islamia Law College told the court that Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri was never their student and that he was once caught cheating in an exam, after which the unfair means committee barred him for three years. It was further claimed that he later attempted to secure a degree using falsified documents.
According to the record submitted to the court, Jahangiri appeared in the LL.B Part I exam under the name “Tariq Jahangiri son of Muhammad Akram,” while for Part II he used the name “Tariq Mahmood son of Qazi Muhammad Akram,” along with a fake enrollment number. The court concluded that he did not possess a valid law degree at the time of his appointment, making his elevation to the bench unlawful.
Following the verdict, the Ministry of Law was directed to de-notify Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, and the decision has now been implemented.
