He was appointed Assistant Advocate-General of Punjab in July 1979[11] and enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 1983.[11] In 1988, he was promoted to Additional Advocate-General of Punjab, before becoming Advocate-General of the province in 1993.[11]
On 31 July 2009, a full 14-member bench including Jillani held the declaration of emergency and imposition of PCO illegal and invalid.[14] It also held that the removal of all justices from the higher judiciary was not valid, and that the reappointment of justices had no legal effect as their removal in the first place was not valid.[14]
Immediately after his oath, Justice Jillani declined special security protocol, and directed Interior MinisterChaudhry Nisar not to impose restrictions on commuters during his passage.[21]
He also took suo motu action against the court administration for allowing only one news channel to exclusively cover the full-court reference in honour of the outgoing Justice Chaudhry.[22] Justice Chaudhry's principal secretary was found to be involved, and was transferred to the human rights cell as a result.[23]
Tassaduq Hussain Jillani serves as an Honorary Co-chair for the World Justice Project. The World Justice Project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.
In July 2008, when Senior Justice Jillani was invited by the American Bar Association to receive and accept the Rule of Law Award on behalf of those judges of Pakistan who demonstrated courage in upholding the Rule of Law in the country, he penned:
In Pakistan, if one were to distinguish a headline from a trend line in assessing change, the recent events are a pointer to a moral renaissance and augur well for the spiritual health of the nation. Never before has so much been sacrificed by so many for the supremacy of law and justice. The assertion of the judicial conscience, the rise of a vibrant Bar, a vigilant civil society, and the emergence of an independent media would ultimately lead to the establishment of a constitutional democracy, stable political institutions, and an expanded enforcement of the Rule of Law. These to me are the trend lines that I would like to pin my hopes on...
Jillani was considered a liberal and progressive judge, and at times described as the most moderate member of the Supreme Court.[3][4] He was a proponent of the "living constitution", but often emphasized a "trichotomy of powers" and judicial restraint in the aftermath of the Chaudhry Court. While hearing a case related to banking redundancies, Jillani's jurisprudence notably read as it was "for the bank management to decide about the usefulness of the employees"— an unusual ruling in a court known for its populist judgments.[9]
Personal life
Jillani is the son of Muhammad Ramzan Shah Jillani.[11] He is married to Khalida Jillani, and they have three sons and a daughter.[9] Jillani is the uncle of former Foreign Secretary Jalil Jilani, and a distant relation to former Prime MinisterYusuf Raza Gilani.[26]
Library and literary enthusiasm
Justice Jillani is described as an avid enthusiast of poetry, antiques and classical films.[27] When a biographical documentary on him was aired on news channels, a retired librarian of the Supreme Court building, Muhammad Aslam, quoted that "Justice Jillani managed the affairs of the library and made sure to add thousands of new judicial and non-judicial books to its shelves.[13]
He also authored and penned a theme song, Justice for All!, sung by various Pakistan's singers at the 50th Anniversary of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The song has been declared as the Judicial Anthem of Pakistan by former Chief JusticeIftikhar Chaudhry.[11][13]
^Honorable Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani. "The Rule of Law in an Age of Globalized Interdepedence"(PDF). Work written and authored by Honorabl e M r . Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani. American Bar Association. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
