Justice Babar Sattar decides to retain official residence in Islamabad

Justice Babar Sattar, who was recently transferred from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to the Peshawar High Court (PHC), has decided to continue residing in the federal capital during his tenure at the provincial court. Sources within the IHC confirmed that Justice Sattar has officially informed the court administration of his intention to retain his official residence in Islamabad's F-6 sector.

According to court officials, this arrangement is permissible under the Presidential Order of 1997, which grants judges the right to retain one official residence. Since Justice Sattar is not requesting separate official accommodation in Peshawar, he is eligible to keep his Islamabad residence. He may utilize the official rest house of the PHC while serving in Peshawar, a common practice that allows judges to retain residences elsewhere.

The issue of judicial accommodation has been a persistent challenge, particularly due to the lack of dedicated housing for IHC judges. This has led the IHC administration to seek Category-I residences, typically reserved for senior civil servants, for its judges. The situation had previously seen difficulties in securing adequate housing, but a landmark 2023 judgment authored by Justice Sattar himself improved the availability of official residences. In that ruling, he emphasized that judges are entitled to accommodation from their appointment date throughout their service, stating that disparities in housing "impinge on the independence of the judiciary."

“

impinge on the independence of the judiciary