ISLAMABAD, JUN 9: The High Court has ruled that the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was constitutionally valid and final. The judges held that while courts retain jurisdiction to interpret the Constitution and determine whether constitutional limits were observed during impeachment proceedings, they cannot reverse a completed impeachment of a Deputy President where the Constitution provides a self-executing process.
The court, however, found that the Senate violated Gachagua’s rights by failing to adjourn after he fell ill during the proceedings. It said this did not invalidate the impeachment, but it awarded him $386,000 in compensation. Gachagua was not in court when the 350-page ruling was handed down, but his legal team vowed to appeal.
