ISLAMABAD: A legal dispute has emerged in the Islamabad High Court as Justice Babar Sattar raised serious objections to recent amendments made to the court rules without convening a full court meeting.
In a letter addressed to the acting Chief Justice and fellow judges, Justice Sattar stated that the rule changes violate Article 208 of the Constitution.
He argued that any amendment to the court rules requires the collective approval of all judges and that unilateral decisions undermine constitutional authority and damage the institution’s credibility.
Violation of Article 208 Highlighted
Justice Babar Sattar expressed concern over a gazette notification regarding the “Islamabad High Court Rules 2025,” pointing out that it lacked formal approval from a full court meeting.
He emphasized that, under the Constitution, only the Chief Justice and the full bench of judges are authorized to amend court rules.
He also referenced the Lahore High Court rules — adopted by Islamabad High Court — which do not allow delegation of this power to any single authority.
According to him, the amendments were made without proper legal authority and must be reversed.
Institutional Credibility and Employee Rights at Risk
In his letter, Justice Sattar warned that the unauthorized changes could harm both the court’s institutional reputation and the rights of its employees.
He described the issue as sensitive and urged immediate reversal of the amendments to avoid further embarrassment for the judiciary.
He called for transparency, constitutional adherence, and collective decision-making in all future rule revisions.
