DNA
New Delhi, Mar 17: Pakistan’s Supreme Court seniormost judge Rana Bhagwandas was last spotted at the Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh in the first week of February but since then his whereabouts are unknown.
When a reporter met Justice Bhagwandas there, he said his visit as a private “a leisure trip full of recreation and excitement.” He said “It is a nice experience, impressive and appealing. Because there is a lot of love and affection amongst the people who we met during this visit right from the moment we walked across the Wagah checkpost.”
On his being a judge from Hindu minority community in the Muslim state, he replied “for me it makes me no difference because I treat it as a sacred trust. It is the virtue of God, the parmatma, and the creator to do justice and we as judges merely act as his agents. I always seek guidance from the creator so that we do not make a wrong judgment. Before me there have been distinguished judges from the minority community who have held this esteemed post. We had Justice A R Cornelius, who was the chief justice of Pakistan for eight long years, from 1960 to 1968.”
Meanwhile, India refuses to comment on Justice Bhagwandas’ whereabouts, saying he had come in on a private visit and no one is keeping track of him. The buzz is that Bhagwandas is still in India. But no official is ready to confirm or deny this.
However, a petition asking Pakistan’s Supreme Court to direct the government to disclose the whereabouts of Justice Bhagwandas was filed on Thursday.
The petition, filed by Moulvi Iqbal Haider under Article 184(3) of the Constitution as a matter of public importance, expressed concern over a BBC Urdu News item which said Justice Bhagwandas was not in India and the Pakistani High Commission there did not know about his visit or his whereabouts.
“The nation is worried and wants to know about the whereabouts of Bhagwandas. Besides, it is the responsibility of the government and the foreign affairs ministry to give information on the whereabouts of the judge and his health, safety and security,’’ Haider said in the petition, the Daily Times reported.