ISLAMABAD: A three-judge committee that determines the fixing of cases before Supreme Court’s constitutional bench has decided to revert to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), after it emerged that one of the judges on the existing seven-member bench was also part of the bench that pronounced the judgement on the military court trials on Oct 23, 2023. The committee, …
ISLAMABAD: In a loud and clear message, the seven-judge constitutional bench on Tuesday clarified that, for all practical purposes, it functions as the full court for hearing constitutional matters. The observation appears to resolve uncertainty surrounding the handling of constitutional cases which, before the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, were heard by the full court comprising all available Supreme …
ISLAMABAD: The Shuhada Forum Balochistan (SFB) on Monday moved an application before the Supreme Court, seeking early fixing of intra-court appeals (ICAs) against the five-judge order of October last year that nullified the trial of civilians by military courts in the May 9 violence case. The SFB urged the court to fix the ICAs in the last week of November, …
ISLAMABAD: As a follow-up to the Nov 2 session held to develop the ‘National Jail Reform Policy’, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Friday presided over an online meeting to review the progress on decisions taken earlier. The CJP, who is also chairman of the National Judicial Automation Committee, stressed during the online meeting that all stakeholders, including …
ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court’s newly formed constitutional bench began functioning on Thursday, it sought reports from all four provinces on actions taken to combat air pollution amid the prevailing smog situation. The seven-member bench was formed last week under the 26th Amendment, with the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) appointing Justice Aminuddin Khan as its head by a majority …
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has constituted a three-judge committee to fix cases, issue court rosters, form benches and decide weekly caseload for its recently established constitutional bench. According to the minutes of a Nov 6 meeting released on Monday, the committee comprises Justice Aminud Din Khan (head of the constitutional bench), Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar. …
ISLAMABAD: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has questioned the legitimacy of a regular bench handling constitutional cases. Presiding over the three-member bench hearing a tax-related case, Justice Shah remarked, “If no constitutional bench is seated, does this mean we are unconstitutional?” His comments came as the court deliberated on whether the case should be heard by a constitutional bench instead of …
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Friday reviewed the March 25 letter from six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, in which serious allegations were raised regarding interference by intelligence agencies in judicial affairs, calling for a thorough investigation. The SJC, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, who also heads the council, considered different options concerning the …
ISLAMABAD: Several renowned former parliamentarians, as well as a former president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, challenged the 26th Amendment in the Supreme Court on Friday in two separate but similar petitions, arguing that “a vote cast under coercion is no vote at all.” Month-long political negotiations concluded on October 20 as the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, also …
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday passed six bills, including one seeking an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges and another related to the extension of the terms of armed services chiefs, amid deafening protest by the opposition. A few hours later, the Senate also passed the amendment bills. If President Asif Ali Zardari signs off on them, …