Karachi:
The constitutional bench of the High Court of the Sindh ordered the appointment of a visually impaired lawyer as a judicial magistrate under the rules of the Sindh judicial services.
A Constitutional SHC bench of two members, led by judge KK Agha and also comprising judge Nisar, gave the orders during the decision of a petition filed by the lawyer, Sadiq Hussain, requesting a relaxation of the requirements of medical conditioning for judicial meetings because of its visual impairment.
The bench judged that Sadiq, an exercise lawyer, is eligible for the position of judicial magistrate despite his visual impairment. The decision requires the implementation of the appointment within four weeks or during the next available vacancy.
In his written order, the bench ruled that Sadiq had been able to be maintained by his legal practice. The bench also ordered that copies of its decision be sent to the secretary to the provincial law and to the CSH registrar for the implementation. Sadiq’s legal adviser, lawyer Haseeb Jamali, had argued that his client had undergone a medical examination on the recommendation of the selection committee, but his medical certificate was retained because of his visual impairment. The selection committee had advised him to approach the SHC for the relaxation of the medical conditioning requirement.
The petitioner had submitted his request to the SHC registrar, but no measure was taken. The petitioner’s lawyer then approached the Constitutional bench asking that he granted the same advantages as recommended by the selection committee in 2015. The case, in the process of 2016, was again carried to SHC in 2024 by lawyer Jamali.
Sadiq, who had been struggling for nine years to reach his goal, shared his gratitude. He revealed that his late father had always wanted him to become a judge and supported him throughout his trip. Sadiq’s father died in 2018 before seeing the fruit of his son’s dreams.