Justice Ali Baqar Najafi sworn in as SC Judge

Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, administered the oath of office to Justice Ali Baqar Najafi at a ceremony held at the Supreme Court building on Wednesday.

The event was attended by Supreme Court judges and other prominent dignitaries. Justice Najafi, previously serving at the Lahore High Court (LHC), was nominated to the Supreme Court by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

On Tuesday, President Asif Ali Zardari formally approved Justice Najafi’s elevation to the apex court.

According to the official notification issued by the presidency:
“In exercise of the powers conferred under clause (1) of Article 177, read with clause (8) of Article 175A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, judge of the LHC, as judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan with effect from the date he takes oath of his office.”

The JCP, led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, had approved Justice Najafi’s elevation to the Supreme Court last week by a majority vote of 9 to 4.

The selection process was carried out to fill two vacant seats in the Supreme Court. The nominees were chosen from among the five senior-most judges of the LHC. According to the seniority list, the top candidates included LHC Chief Justice Alia Neelum, followed by Senior Puisne Judge Shujaat Ali Khan, and Justices Najafi, Abid Aziz Sheikh, and Sadaqat Ali Khan.