Amid objections raised by some religious groups to a non-Muslim heading the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a constitutional body on Islamic ideology has backed the appointment of Rana Bhagwan Das as the country’s Acting Chief Justice.
Being a Muslim is not mandatory for a judge if the law of the land had been drafted formally, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has said, according to state-run APP news agency.
Justice Das, a Hindu, was appointed as ACJ as he was the senior-most judge in the apex court following the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikar Muhammad Chaudhry on charges of misconduct and misuse of authority by President Pervez Musharraf on March 9.
Some religious groups have objected to the appointment, claiming that a non-Muslim cannot head the country's apex court. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will take up on Tuesday two petitions which challenge the appointment on the same grounds.
The Council Of Islamic Ideology is a constitutional body that advises the legislature whether or not a certain law is repugnant to Islam.
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