The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Monday that lawmakers holding fake-degrees could face criminal cases.
According to a private television channel, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, resumed the hearing of the case pertaining to lawmakers with fake degrees.
During the hearing, the chief justice said that the degrees of 54 parliamentarians were fake, adding that according to the Constitution of Pakistan members of parliament could face criminal prosecution for intentionally submitting false statements.
Chaudhry said in his remarks that 189 lawmakers had failed to submit their matric and intermediate certificates.
Secretary of the Election Commission Ishtiaq Ahmed told the court that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had informed the commission about 54 cases of fake degrees held by lawmakers.
Ishtiaq further said that FIRs were lodged against 21 lawmakers who held fake degrees.
The bench gave the 189 lawmakers time until April 5 to submit their educational certificates for verification.