Judges who lose public trust must be removed: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has established a stringent standard for judicial integrity, ruling that judges who lose public trust must be removed from their positions. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, emphasized that a judge's conduct can compromise their integrity, undermine the institution's moral authority, and erode public confidence.

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The moment public confidence in the integrity of a judicial officer is fractured, the fracture runs through the entire structure of the rule of law, undermining the integrity of the judicial institution itself.

The court's decision restored the penalty of removal from service for a judicial officer, reversing a previous ruling by the Punjab Subordinate Judiciary Service Tribunal. The tribunal had reduced the penalty from removal to compulsory retirement, citing insufficient evidence of corruption but acknowledging a tarnished reputation.

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The robe of a judge was not stained only by proven corruption; it was equally darkened by a sustained loss of credibility.

Justice Waheed, authoring the judgment, stated that the penalty must be proportionate to the "mischief," which in this case was the loss of public confidence. The court found that the judicial officer had not only lost public confidence by compromising impartiality but had also "strangled his judicial career." The ruling asserts that the continuation of such an officer in office is incompatible with the institution's interests, highlighting that a judge's robe is stained not only by proven corruption but also by a sustained loss of credibility.

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The continuation of such a judicial officer in office had become incompatible with the interests of the institution.