The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed against the appointment of the Judicial Member of Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR), MM Akram, who is presently the Senior Most Member of the ATIR.
MM Akram was appointed as a JM through a Notification dated 26.04.2019. This Notification was challenged through a petition filed in the Rawalpindi Bench of LHC, which was dismissed on Wednesday by the LHC in a landmark order authored by Justice Jawad Hassan.
The petition was filed to raise the single question that an FIR was lodged against him in the year 2005 with respect to a family dispute, however, before the charge could be framed, he was acquitted on the basis of a compromise. Whether such an acquittal is honorable or not. It was the Petitioner’s case that the above acquittal was dishonorable for being based on a compromise,
The petition was filed with unclean hands to defame the Senior Most Member on frivolous grounds. It is a universal principle of the rule of law that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and the member in question was honorably acquitted, which includes an acquittal arising as a result of a compromise.
It was held by the LHC Â that MM Akram, with a 28-year illustrious career, is fit to hold the office of JM-ATIR. Mere registration of a criminal case in a family dispute long before his appointment, in which he was honorably acquitted does not constitute as evidence of bad character.
